Tension in the air was palpable as we stood atop the city walls, eyes locked on the horizon where the enemy army marched forward in a chaotic undisciplined formation. The ground trembled under the weight of thousands of feet, their approach a grim prelude to the impending battle.
I scanned the enemy ranks, searching for the new type of creatures I'd encountered before. Yet, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't spot them.
"They're hiding," I muttered under my breath, uneasy at the change in their tactics. "Since they've been losing, they've started using monsters as meat shields… but I don't recall them ever showing this much intelligence."
Yue, standing beside me, turned her gaze toward the cavalry approaching in the distance, her golden eyes narrowing in thought.
Before I could say more, something small and metallic flew toward me. I caught it on reflex, looking down to find a ring embedded with a divinity stone nestled in my palm.
"Hajime?" I looked up in confusion. "I already have the necklace and the earrings," I reminded him, tilting my head.
"That one's not for you," Hajime stated flatly, his crimson eyes shifting toward Tio.
I followed his gaze and immediately understood. Tio was staring at the ring as if her very life depended on it, her expression unusually serious.
"Uh… can I not?" I asked, feeling awkward.
"Nope," Hajime shot me down without hesitation. "That's the only mana restoration artifact we have. It's either this or the ones you're already wearing."
Shea giggled behind her hand, clearly enjoying the situation. Yue, meanwhile, observed the scene with her usual unreadable expression—though her terrible attempt at hiding her amusement was obvious.
Tio's eyes bulged slightly, her desperation reaching new heights. I sighed, resigning myself to the inevitable. Before I could even speak, Hajime's dry voice reached my ears.
"Look, she's into you, so just go for it."
Shea clapped her hands together, beaming. "Selena, I'm so happy for you!"
Yue blinked. "Your acting skills are terrible."
I turned to Tio, who had forced her expression into a façade of composure, but the moment I extended the ring toward her, all pretense shattered.
"My engagement ring! I accept with all my heart!!!"
A stunned silence fell over the wall.
Some of my classmates gaped with their mouths wide open. Aiko looked utterly frozen. Even the knights, hardened warriors who had seen all manner of battlefields, had suspicious tears glistening in their eyes.
Tio eagerly presented her hand to me, offering all her fingers for me to choose from.
I hesitated. 'Which one was the engagement finger again?' I had no clue, so I simply slid the ring onto her middle finger.
A long silence followed.
Hajime gave me the most deadpan look I'd ever seen.
"You know the middle finger means nothing, right? If you really want to tie Tio down, it needs to go on her index or ring finger."
Before I could correct my mistake, Tio closed her hand into a fist and pressed it to her chest.
"No, this is fine! I love it!" she declared, her eyes shining with unrestrained joy.
I found myself momentarily lost in her expression. Her happiness was so pure, so intense, that I momentarily forgot how ridiculous this situation was.
Then—
RUMBLE.
The ground trembled violently. The enemy army had finally arrived.
Hajime stepped forward, addressing the warriors standing behind us. Many were shaking, their resolve faltering in the face of the monstrous horde approaching.
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head as the weight of the battle settled on my shoulders.
"You're a fucking idiot," Hajime muttered under his breath.
"What?! I didn't know what finger was for engagement!" I protested. "I meant to miss!"
"Right," Hajime drawled, sarcasm rolling off him in waves.
Shea covered her mouth again, shaking with suppressed laughter.
Yuka, on the other hand, was blushing furiously. "I can't tell if this is romantic or not…"
"I don't think it is," someone else murmured. "It feels like Hajime set her up…"
"No one is getting married!" Aiko finally snapped, fire burning in her eyes as she prepared to intervene.
But before she could put an end to the chaos—
SKREECH!
Raptor monsters have arrived. Hajime turned towards the townspeople.
"Listen up, brave men of Ur! Our victory is assured!" The citizens looked at each other in confusion. Ignoring them, Hajime continued, voice full of confidence.
"Why? Because we have a goddess on our side! Men, never forget that the great fertility goddess Aiko-sama stands with us!" The people started whispering excitedly to each other. Aiko turned towards Hajime, a horrified look starting to appear on her face.
"So long as the great Aiko-sama stands with us, we cannot lose! She was sent here from the heavens to guide us to victory and prosperity. And I am her sword and shield, an avatar born of her desire to protect people! Behold! This is the strength of one who has received the goddess' divine blessing, the strength of her holy armaments!" Hajime takes Schlagen out of his Treasure Trove and aims at raptors that were leading the charge. The townspeople watched with bated breath.
Crimson sparks began running down Schlagen's barrel, giving it an ominous appearance. In the next second, it showed that its fearsome appearance wasn't just for show.
BANG! The noise gave the onlookers a start. A single streak of red flew through the sky towards the raptor faster than the eye could follow.
In an instant, a raptor dropped on the ground, but it was not alone. The shockwave was so powerful that it flung them to the sides of the canyon.
Hajime continued to fire at the raptors, until none remained. This only took a few seconds before he stood up, Schlagen resting on his shoulder and calmly turned towards the gathered citizens. Hajime, ignoring their gobsmacked faces, grinned fearlessly.
"All hail Aiko-sama!" He raised his arm up in triumph. A second later…
"All hail Aiko-sama! All hail Aiko-sama! All hail Aiko-sama! All hail Aiko-sama!"
"All hail our goddess! All hail our goddess! All hail our goddess! All hail our goddess!" The people of Ur had now solidly turned Aiko into their goddess, not just in name, but in truth. Their eyes, no longer filled with fear, but looked towards Aiko filled with hope and worship.
Hajime, smirking fully on his face, turns back towards the approaching horde. He then crossed his arms and gave Tio a pointed look. "You'd better show off what you've got, or I'll kick you from the party. No dead weight is allowed on the team."
Tio, who had been basking in the glow of her "engagement," suddenly snapped out of her lovestruck haze. In an instant, her entire demeanor shifted. The warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by the sharp, steely focus of a seasoned warrior.
The change was so abrupt that even our allies flinched. Just moments ago, she had been love-dovey and giggling—now, she was exuding raw battle presence, her draconic aura flaring.
She rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck with an almost lazy confidence, then turned to me with a smirk.
"Selena, stand by me," she purred, winking as she stretched out her arm.
I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or concerned. But one thing was clear—Tio was about to unleash hell.
With that, Hajime swapped out Schlagen for a massive missile launcher, taking aim. BOOM! A series of explosions rocked the enemy ranks, monstrous bodies torn apart in rapid succession. The scent of scorched flesh filled the air as Hajime methodically mowed down the frontlines with terrifying efficiency.
"—Lightning Dragon." Yue's voice rang out, calm yet absolute.
A colossal bolt of golden lightning tore through the battlefield, coiling into the shape of a dragon before slamming into the enemy's formation. Screams echoed as entire squads of monsters were vaporized.
Not to be outdone, Tio launched into the air, her mana surging. "Behold! The flames of a dragon's wrath!" She unleashed Black Flame Firestorm, a swirling inferno of abyssal fire that devoured anything in its path, turning the ground itself into molten slag.
Shea, stationed on a nearby tower, grinned as she shouldered a second copy of Orken, a multi-purpose rocket launcher. "You guys are showing off way too much. Guess I better step it up!" She pulled the trigger, and a volley of magical missiles rained down, detonating upon impact and sending debris and monster limbs flying.
Despite the devastating assault, something was wrong.
Just behind the frontline, strange, massive turtle-like creatures sat firmly in place, their thick shells glowing faintly as they absorbed incoming magic. Every spell that got near them was sucked away, vanishing into nothingness.
Behind these turtles, the husks—those twisted, artificial humanoids—crouched in eerie silence, using the creatures as mobile cover. They weren't charging in recklessly. They were waiting. Getting closer.
Selena found herself forced into a defensive position. For every attack the party launched, a counterattack followed. Lazer, magic, and projectiles rained down from the enemy's forces, and Selena barely had time to block, her body moving on instinct.
Despite their overwhelming firepower, the kill count wasn't high enough. Too many monsters were still pushing forward.
"The turtles are neutralizing our magic!" someone shouted.
Hajime clicked his tongue. "Tch. Annoying. Looks like we've got a priority target."
Tio, still burning with battle fervor, turned toward Selena. "Shall we break their formation, my dear?"
Selena exhaled sharply, adjusting her grip on her weapon.
"Let's crush them."
As Tio and Yue's attacks tore through the enemy ranks, something unnerving began to happen.
The moment their spells destroyed the monsters, the magic that composed them didn't just dissipate. Instead, it was sucked up by the massive turtle-like creatures lurking behind the battlefield.
One pair absorbed wind and fire, their shell swirling with flames or turbulent air.
Another pair devoured gravity and thunder, their forms crackling with Yue's residual energy.
Then—BOOM!
Without warning, the turtles fired back, unleashing devastating elemental beams straight toward them.
The party barely had time to react.
Selena, despite her lack of long-range abilities, acted first. She slammed her hands down, conjuring a massive ice wall, blocking two of the beams before they could reach them.
The remaining attack—a concentrated blast of gravity-infused lightning—shot forward, too fast to dodge.
Selena narrowed her eyes, gripping her black blade tightly. With a sharp exhale, she swung her sword, slicing into the beam. Instead of trying to block it, she redirected it. The weight of the gravity magic weighed her down, causing cracks to appear where she stood. She angled her blade upward and sent the deadly energy soaring into the sky instead.
Just as the last turtle prepared to fire, Hajime's shield bits shot forward, forming an energy barrier that absorbed the final blast.
A tense silence followed.
Then, Hajime exhaled, lowering his guard just slightly. "Nice work," he said, glancing at Selena. "You saved us a hell of a headache just now."
Selena merely nodded, still focused on the battlefield.
But Hajime wasn't wasting time. The moment he saw an opening, he switched weapons, pulling out his anti-materiel rifle.
"Alright, enough playing around," he muttered.
With precise aim, he fired—BANG!
The bullet pierced one of the turtles' heads, causing it to shudder violently.
BANG!
Another shot rang out, and the second turtle recoiled.
Just as he was about to finish them off, however, something unexpected happened.
The husks—those eerie, humanoid creatures lurking behind the turtles—rushed forward, throwing themselves in front of Hajime's next shot.
At the same time, the remaining monsters surged forward, covering the turtles in a desperate attempt to protect them.
"Tch. They're smarter than we thought."
Hajime cursed under his breath, but his smirk didn't fade.
"Guess they're not just mindless puppets after all," he muttered. Then, cracking his neck, he shifted his aim.
"Fine. If they want to protect their little magic vacuums—" Hajime smirked, glancing at Yue and Tio. "Then let's force them to expose themselves. Combine your spells, and once they start pulling it in, we'll track them down and kill them."
Yue and Tio exchanged a knowing look before nodding in unison.
Without hesitation, they began casting again, unleashing the same devastating spells that had previously torn through the enemy's formation.
"Black Flame Firestorm."
"Lightning Dragon."
The battlefield was once again engulfed in chaos as fire and lightning raged, cutting down anything in their path.
Just as expected, the turtles activated again. The air trembled as their shells glowed, absorbing the combined magic, sucking it in like a vortex.
But this time, Hajime was ready.
Using his magic sense, on his eye patch, he pinpointed the exact location where their magic was being dragged. His crimson eyes locked onto a cluster of massive monsters, their bodies unnaturally distorted as they shielded something behind them.
BANG!
His shot rang out, and within seconds, a massive explosion erupted in the enemy ranks.
The bullet had found its target—one of the turtles.
The creature let out a horrible, gurgling shriek as it collapsed, interrupting its absorption. Tio's black flames, now untethered, spread wildly through the immediate area.
Every monster caught in the blast was instantly incinerated.
Hajime quickly scanned the battlefield again, tracking the last trace of Yue's spell.
The moment he fired, however, the magic absorption stopped.
They were adapting.
His crimson eyes narrowed. "Tch. These damn demons."
Even so, Yue's Lightning Dragon had already surged forward, vaporizing the frontline before it could be called back. The spell raged forward until it fizzled out, leaving nothing but scorched corpses in its wake.
Meanwhile, Shea continued her bombardment. Any enemies that had managed to avoid the wildfire or dodge the lightning dragon were now being blown apart by rockets.
Selena, standing near the back, kept watch. She knew at least one part of Tio's spell had been taken before the turtle had died.
She waited—poised for the inevitable counterattack.
Tio, breathing heavily, turned toward Hajime. "If we keep recasting spells like this, my mana will deplete faster than I originally thought."
Hajime confirmed with a nod. "Yeah. We can't afford to waste any more magic on those things."
Despite their efforts, the enemy was still advancing.
Half the army had already made it halfway to the fort at the end of the valley.
Hajime clicked his tongue, realizing they needed to slow the enemy down even more. The fort at the end of the valley was still too far, and if they didn't cripple the enemy's advance, they'd be overwhelmed before they could regroup.
"Fine," Hajime muttered. "Time for Plan B."
Without hesitation, he pressed a trigger.
BOOM!
The mountains on either side of the valley erupted. Explosions tore through the cliff faces, and within moments, massive boulders and debris came crashing down.
The battlefield shook violently as thousands of tons of rock collapsed onto the enemy ranks, crushing monsters beneath the sheer weight of stone and wood.
Cries of agony filled the air.
Clouds of dust and debris rose, obscuring parts of the battlefield. But through the chaos, it was clear—the enemy's formation had been shattered.
The plan was working.
Hajime didn't waste a second. He turned to the group. "Shea and I are heading in to take out the turtles first. We'll signal when it's safe to use magic again."
He turned to Selena next, tossing something heavy toward her.
A pair of miniguns.
"Selena, cover us. Keep firing and make us a path."
Selena caught the weapons, her eyes gleaming with joy before nodding. The moment Hajime and Shea made their move, she opened fire, the rapid BRRRRRRRRRRRRT of the miniguns tearing through enemy ranks.
Hajime then glanced at Tio. "You're on defense. If they fire back using absorbed magic, counter it."
Tio nodded, her golden eyes sharp as she raised her hand, scanning for any incoming attacks.
Finally, Hajime turned to Yue.
"Get your strongest spell ready. The moment we give the signal, wipe them out."
Yue took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she began channeling mana, her next spell forming in the depths of her mind.
With everything in motion, Hajime and Shea jumped onto a bike.
VROOOOOM!
Hajime pov
The sound of the engine roared as they sped straight into the horde.
Selena kept firing relentlessly, mowing down anything in their way as Hajime and Shea plunged deeper into the battlefield.
Tio stood her ground, eyes sweeping across the sky and battlefield, prepared for any counterattack.
And Yue, standing atop the wall, continued to gather energy, the air around her crackling as she prepared to unleash devastation.
The enemy, despite their losses, was still relentless.
Flying-type monsters appeared from the sides of the mountain tops, gathering in the middle before diving at the defenders.
Selena adjusted her aim, gunning them down before they could get close.
The soldiers on the wall assisted, loosing arrows and fireballs to take down anything that slipped through the cracks.
The battle was far from over.
But now—they were forcing the enemy onto the defensive.
Hajime and Shea moved through the battlefield with ruthless efficiency, cutting a bloody path toward the turtles.
Behind them, the roar of gunfire filled the air.
Selena's miniguns tore through anything that got too close, ripping apart waves of monsters before they could interfere.
But then—
The gunfire stopped.
Hajime immediately noticed.
His instincts screamed at him, and when he glanced back, he saw the reason.
From the distance, an airborne unit had finally made its move. Monstrous winged creatures were descending, attempting to overwhelm Selena's position.
"It's just one thing after another." He grumbled.
They were actively making it harder for his team.
Selena had no choice but to shift her focus to the sky, leaving Hajime and Shea without cover fire.
"Tch," Hajime gritted his teeth. "They're adapting faster than expected."
Shea, still at his side, took a moment to observe the battlefield.
After a few seconds, she frowned. "Hey, Hajime… I just noticed something."
He glanced at her. "What?"
She motioned to the monsters around them. "All the enemies here… they seem normal."
Hajime narrowed his eyes, scanning the battlefield. She was right. These monsters were strong, but they weren't showing any unnatural coordination or intelligence beyond what they usually had.
"They're just fodder," Hajime muttered, realization dawned on him.
Shea tilted her head. "Then where are the weird ones? The ones that fight too smart, the ones that take command?"
Hajime's expression darkened.
"…At the back."
Shea's ears twitched. "You think they're being brainwashed?"
"Most likely," Hajime said, reloading his gun. "They're probably the select leaders of the army—monsters that have been conditioned or controlled to guide the rest."
That changed things.
Killing random monsters wouldn't win this fight fast enough.
They had to end the ones pulling the strings.
Hajime exhaled sharply, "we need to get rid of those turtles first before we try to make our way to the backline and deal with those brainwashed monsters."
Hajime jerked the handlebars at the last second, sending the bike into a brutal spin.
The vehicle flipped sideways, its momentum carrying it forward as it crashed into a cluster of monsters.
CRUNCH!
The weight of the bike crushed several creatures beneath it, their bodies snapping and breaking under the force.
The bike finally skidded to a halt, debris and gore scattering in its wake. Hajime and Shea had already leapt off mid-spin, landing cleanly.
"Why are you so rough on your equipment?"
"I would never do anything like that to MY equipment." Hajime states with a smirk.
*Gasp* "Was that Selena's Bike?"
Hajime, smirk still on his face, said nothing before they split off in different directions.
"Alright," Hajime muttered, reloading his weapon. "Let's find these damn turtles."
The monsters surged toward them again—but this time, they weren't just fighting the horde.
They were hunting.
A fresh wave of monsters charged at them, trying to overwhelm them before they could regroup.
Hajime made short work of them.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
His bullets pierced skulls and blew apart limbs, sending bodies flying.
Shea split off to the right, moving with terrifying speed.
"Going this way!" she called.
Hajime nodded. "I'll take the left. Keep your eyes open!"
They moved through the battlefield in separate directions, cutting deeper toward their target.
But something was wrong.
Where were the turtles?
Hajime scanned the battlefield, his magic sense pulsing outward. He should have been able to pinpoint their location, but—
Nothing.
They were hiding.
"Tch." Hajime narrowed his eyes. That meant only one thing.
"Shea!" he called over the chaos. "They're camouflaging themselves somehow. Keep moving—we'll flush them out!"
Shea grinned as she smashed a monster into the dirt.
"Sounds good! Let's hunt them down!"
The battle wasn't over yet.
But now—Hajime knew their real enemy was playing dirty.
And he was about to flip the tables on them.
Hajime and Shea pushed through the enemy lines, cutting down monster after monster as they searched for their elusive target.
Then—Hajime's eye twitched.
He finally saw them.
The turtles—weren't walking on their own.
Instead, they were being carried.
A group of husks, unnaturally strong and eerily silent, were hoisting the massive creatures above their heads, moving them like some twisted, makeshift transport squad.
The sight was so absurd that Hajime almost stopped in his tracks.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" he muttered, exasperated.
No wonder they hadn't been able to find the turtles.
They weren't hiding underground or blending into the terrain.
They were literally being carried around like VIPs.
Shea, spotting them as well, burst into laughter. "Pfft! That's—hahahaha! That's so stupid!"
The husks, sensing danger, let out a synchronized, guttural roar.
Dozens of them, previously hidden within the battlefield, suddenly emerged from the shadows, sprinting toward Hajime.
A trap.
They had been waiting for him to find them.
Hajime didn't hesitate.
He swung up his sniper rifle, its mana-powered core glowing with blinding intensity.
BANG!
As the husks threw themselves forward, desperately shielding the turtle, Hajime's sniper rifle still burned with residual mana from his last shot.
But he already knew—
They were too late.
The momentum of his attack had already passed through their bodies.
The glowing bullet, supercharged with mana, had torn straight through them—
And straight into the turtle they were trying so hard to protect.
CRACK!
The turtle let out a gurgling, warped death cry as its massive, armored shell split open from the force of the impact.
A hole the size of a boulder had been punched clean through its body, its core completely obliterated.
It didn't even have a chance to react.
The husk carriers twitched violently before collapsing, their connection to the beast severed.
The battlefield seemed to pause for half a second—
And then the turtle slumped over, lifeless.
Hajime exhaled, lowering his rifle. "Well. That was anticlimactic." He rolled his shoulders. "Guess they didn't account for a one-shot kill."
Off in the distance, Hajime heard a frustrated yell.
He turned his head just as Shea's voice rang out over the battlefield.
"Arghhh! Get back here, you damn turtle!"
Hajime sighed. She must've found another one.
Without hesitation, he deployed three Cross Bits, sending them ahead to see what was happening.
The floating drones zoomed over the battlefield, quickly relaying the situation back to him.
Shea was deep in enemy lines, swinging Drucken like a wild force of nature, her blows sending monsters flying. Husks were exploding on impact, and stray pellets from her Drucken were tearing apart the creatures unlucky enough to be nearby.
But just as she was about to reach the turtle, something interfered.
A pack of wolves suddenly rushed toward her from the side, moving with unnatural coordination.
Hajime immediately frowned.
They weren't acting like the rest of the horde.
No reckless charges. No blind, suicidal aggression.
These wolves were moving strategically.
Just as Shea swung her hammer forward, one of them stopped abruptly in her path.
Her instincts screamed at her, and she halted her attack mid-motion.
Her hammer swung wide, throwing off her balance for just a second—just enough time for the rest of the pack to close in.
They were forcing her to stop.
"Shit," Hajime muttered. "They're controlling their movements too well."
Just before the wolves could jump on Shea, Hajime fired.
BOOM!
Shotgun rounds blasted from the Cross Bits, sending two wolves flying before they could pounce.
Shea grinned, panting slightly.
"Haha! Thanks, Hajime!" she called over the comms. "I think they're using a skill like mine—some kind of precognition! That stop was way too unnatural!"
She exhaled, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face, clearly annoyed that her prey was trying to escape.
Hajime could see it now—the turtle was retreating.
But Shea wasn't about to let it.
With a furious leap, she launched herself forward.
More husks appeared in midair, trying to intercept her.
Shea used them as stepping stones, kicking off their bodies to propel herself even faster toward the retreating turtle.
Letting out a thunderous war cry—
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Shea swung Drucken down.
CRACK!
The second-to-last turtle exploded under the sheer force of the blow, its shell shattering into pieces. She also crushed the Husks that had been carrying it into meat paste. It looked like a smashed blueberry smear on the ground.
The battlefield shook once again—
And now, only one turtle remained.
With only one turtle left, Hajime knew they wouldn't have to hunt it down.
It would have to come out on its own.
Raising his arm, he fired a signal flare into the sky. The red streak of light shot upward, cutting through the battlefield's smoke and haze, signaling the others that it was time to go all out.
Hajime and Shea regrouped, ignoring the husks still chasing them.
Killing them was too much effort, and without their turtle to protect, they weren't an immediate threat.
Instead of fighting, they leaped over the heads of their pursuers, easily outrunning the mindless husks.
But the wolves—
The wolves were different.
Shea, now hyper-aware of them, noticed how they weren't blindly charging like the husks.
Instead, they were stalking behind the husks, waiting.
They were watching for an opening.
Hajime frowned but didn't stop. He had bigger concerns—
Like the two figures standing at the back of the battlefield.
One was a robed boy, his slim figure nearly hidden beneath his cloak.
The other—
A tall, well-built demon, his body lean but muscular, sharp features contorted in clear frustration as he argued with the robed figure.
Hajime couldn't hear what they were saying.
But he didn't need to.
These two were important.
They weren't ordinary enemies.
They were commanders.
Before Hajime could react—
The ground beneath him trembled.
Then—
BOOM!
Shea's eyes widened. "What the hell was that?!"
She instinctively gripped Druken tighter, stumbled forward a few steps as the earth shook beneath her feet.
Hajime, standing beside her, remained calm.
"Tch. Looks like the big players finally decided to step in."
Shea huffed, shaking off the shock.
"Seriously?! You're just gonna act like that wasn't terrifying?!" She gestured toward the massive crater forming behind. "Yue just bulldozed the entire battlefield!"
Hajime glanced at her, smirking. "Scared?"
Shea puffed up her cheeks. "Of course not! I'm just annoyed!"
Then, her expression hardened as she set her sights on the enemy.
As Hajime and his group reached the rear flank of the demon army, they immediately identified a cluster of creatures guarded by numerous husks. Recognizing the danger, the monsters hastily retreated upon noticing their arrival.
"Shea, pursue them," Hajime instructed evenly, his attention already elsewhere. "I'll handle this situation."
His gaze settled on a particularly imposing figure—a muscular demon whose appearance contrasted the thin Yukitoshi's features. With a haughty smirk, the demon advanced a step forward.
"I've heard intriguing rumors about your party," the demon remarked, disdain evident in his tone. "Reports underestimated your capabilities. Merely two months into adventuring, and you're already effortlessly completing missions beyond typical novices. More importantly, you're suspected of eliminating my comrades at Reisen Gorge and disrupting our...experimental activities." He gestured pointedly at the husks surrounding them.
"Collateral damage," Hajime retorted bluntly. "We had no intention of interference; your forces simply obstructed our path."
"Your arrogance is astounding!" the demon shouted fiercely, venom dripping from his words. "Did you honestly believe we weren't prepared for threats like you?"
Hajime regarded him indifferently as the brandished a luminescent vial filled with vibrant blue liquid, the mana radiating intensely from within.
"Surrender and accept a swift death," Hajime sneered maliciously, "or resist and face a torturous demise at my hands."
The leader, a crazed excitement igniting in his expression, as he holds the vial. "Observe closely! I, Riess, shall avenge our fallen brethren and halt your meddling once and for all!"
Riess swiftly consumed the concoction, prompting a violent physical transformation. Hajime watched with detached curiosity, recalling warnings about mana overdose he'd encountered in kingdom archives. The demon's physique rapidly enlarged, his stature rising to nearly seven feet, muscles distorting and bursting through his clothing.
"Behold, the fruit of our alchemists' ingenuity, tailor-made for nuisances like yourselves!" Riess boasted hysterically, his face twisted in bloodthirsty anticipation. "Once I've destroyed you, I'll eliminate that rabbit companion of yours and all the allies cowering behind your defenses!"
His triumphant declaration abruptly ceased as a sharp, resounding crack punctuated the air. Riess's head snapped backward violently, pierced instantly by Hajime's precise shot. The once-threatening demon captain collapsed limply onto the ground.
"Who wastes so much breath making threats?" Hajime remarked disdainfully, lowering his smoking firearm. "If you intend to kill, then simply do it."
It was at that moment Hajime realized he had made a grave mistake. The husks, which had until now followed commands with eerie discipline, suddenly broke into a frenzy. Without warning, they began slaughtering everything in sight—enemy monsters, allies, anything that moved. A nearby group of husks sprinted toward Hajime with alarming speed. They were faster now, almost unnaturally so.
Through the lens of his enchanted eyepatch, Hajime noticed that the once-vibrant, glowing blue veins that powered them were dimming—flickering into a darker, dying shade. Whatever energy source had fueled them was burning out.
Shea sprinted back to Hajime, breathless. "What just happened? One second I was about to finish off a mind-controlled beast, and the next… those husks jumped in and tore it apart!"
"It's probably a failsafe," Hajime muttered, watching the chaos unfold. "They're probably programmed to kill indiscriminately if their targets are lost or if something goes wrong. They'll destroy allies and even themselves if no one else is left."
Shea looked around, realization dawning. The husks had wiped out every monster nearby. And then, as one, they turned their lifeless eyes toward Hajime and Shea.
"Goddamn it," Hajime hissed, gripping his weapon.
***
Fifteen minutes earlier, Selena had run dry on ammunition for her twin mini-guns. On the battlefield, Tio had launched another devastating dark-flame tornado at the enemy in response to the signal flare. The spell surged forward—until it was intercepted mid-flight by a powerful blast, saving several monsters that had been charging toward the frontline.
Kissing the ring on her finger, Tio glanced sidelong at Selena. "I'm out of mana after that one. Lucky you proposed before the battle—your love will fuel my next spell."
Selena's eye twitched, refusing to dignify that with a response. Unfortunately, several soldiers on the wall had overheard Tio and were now staring at her with curiosity and suspicion.
Luckily, Yue released her long-charged spell just in time, targeting the last remaining turtle-like beast. Selena leapt from the wall before it hit.
"Wait—Not you too!" Aiko shouted in alarm, watching her go.
Selena sprinted nearly five miles from the wall, not trusting herself to remain nearby. Her control over her freezing abilities was still unstable, and she feared hurting someone unintentionally.
When she finally reached the designated point, she spotted a hand-scrawled sign on the ground: *Step on me* — marked with a large X.
She sighed. "Of course Hajime left that here."
**Flashback**
"If things go bad and you need to act as the vanguard," Hajime had said, "I'll leave you a support zone. Just find the X."
**End Flashback**
"I can see just fine, Hajime," she muttered, brushing her wind-blown hair from her eyes.
Channeling her chakra, Selena summoned a torrent of underground water. Barrels of it surged upward in response, forming an array of swirling reservoirs around her. They hovered in place, perfectly still—ready.
He always knew what she needed.
As the first wave of monsters emerged from the treeline, Selena stood firm, waiting.
The next wave was upon them in seconds. Selena steadied herself, activating her Sharingan as the battlefield erupted into chaos. Without hesitation, she weaved her hands and conjured multiple razor-sharp spears of ice, sending them hurtling through the advancing horde, piercing monster after monster with surgical precision.
Simultaneously, Selena drew her dual pistols, her Sharingan guiding her to mimicking Hajime's movements as she fired rapidly into the swarm, each bullet striking with lethal accuracy. Her eyes effortlessly tracked the enemies, anticipating their every movement.
As the horde pressed closer, Selena holstered her guns and weaved her hands. Expending her chakra outward, she invoked winter's embrace as it rapidly spread across the ground, freezing every foe caught within its radius. Monsters stiffened, immobilized in mid-stride, encased in frost.
Across the battlefield, Tio unleashed another devastating tornado of black flame, sweeping through the left flank. Monsters shrieked in agony as they vanished into ash, the field cleared in mere seconds.
On the right, Yue shifted tactics. Recognizing that Gravity Fall consumed too much of her mana, she summoned a colossal thunder dragon instead. The electrified beast surged forward, decimating the enemy ranks and forcing any survivors toward the battlefield's center, exactly where Selena awaited.
With enemies converging from all sides, Selena stood resolute, her chakra and mana at peak efficiency. For ten minutes, she displayed every skill at her disposal—ice spears impaling foes, precision gunfire, swift blade work, and the relentless cold of her freezing domain. All the while, lightning covers her body, increasing her speed and reaction time.
The battle intensified rapidly, becoming an overwhelming tide of claws and fangs closing in from every direction. Selena stood at the center of the storm, eyes blazing crimson as her Sharingan spun furiously, tracking dozens—no, hundreds—of enemy movements simultaneously.
Sweat dripped down her brow, breath labored as she struggled to maintain absolute clarity. The cognitive strain was immense; the Sharingan was designed for precision strikes and swift duels, yet now she forced it to perform a near-impossible task—analyzing the trajectory of every foe across a chaotic battlefield. The chakra drain was staggering, and her head pulsed painfully in response.
Refusing to yield, Selena pushed further, channeling her chakra to launch another relentless wave of ice spears. With a sharp exhale, she sent the wave at the ranks of approaching monsters, impaling the creatures with brutal efficiency. Yet each attack consumed a substantial chunk of her reserves. Her fingers trembled slightly, betraying her mounting exhaustion.
Seeing enemies draw closer, Selena desperately expanded her freezing zone once again, a technique that had already heavily taxed her chakra. Icy frost spread rapidly outward, crystallizing the enemies within its grasp. She gasped sharply as the draining sensation intensified. The prolonged maintenance of such a massive ice field was dangerously unsustainable, and she knew it. Her heart pounded violently, fatigue burning deep in her muscles and bones.
Yet Selena persisted, driven by sheer stubbornness. She holstered one pistol temporarily, gripping her black blade tightly as she sliced through the few husks that pushed through the ice. Her Sharingan screamed warnings in her mind, each flash of foresight bringing pain to her already throbbing head. The stress of tracking countless foes simultaneously was crippling, and she could feel herself teetering on the brink of chakra exhaustion.
Despite the screaming protests of her body, Selena refused to relent. She forced more mana to be converted into chakra to feed into the icy storm around her, freezing enemies mid-stride, even as she fought to keep her vision clear and focused. Her heart raced faster, the strain increasing exponentially with every second that passed. Her lungs burned from rapid, shallow breaths, the bitter cold around her numbing her fingers as much as her relentless use of chakra numbed her senses.
And then, suddenly, her chakra hit its breaking point.
Her eyes blurred momentarily, the Sharingan faltering. The ice field flickered dangerously before collapsing inward, signaling the end of her sustained freezing domain. A deep, wrenching fatigue surged through her limbs, almost dropping her to one knee. For a single, terrible instant, despair clawed at the edges of her mind.
At precisely that moment, the husks erupted into their own internal rampage, slaughtering their allies in an uncontrollable frenzy. Selena stood momentarily confused, the chaos providing only a brief reprieve as she struggled to catch her breath. Even through the exhaustion, her analytical mind caught the flickering mana veins dimming on the husks' bodies—a sign they were burning through the last of their energy, reaching unnatural levels of power. It was terrifyingly clear these husks were now a match for even herself and Hajime before they enhanced their physical strength.
Her hesitation lasted only a breath. Gripping her blade, Selena lunged forward, abandoning large-scale attacks in favor of precise, mana-conserving strikes. She executed Gale Claw maneuvers rapidly, sending razor-like waves of wind to slice through her opponents. But the husks surged forward relentlessly, their overwhelming numbers pushing past her desperate attacks.
As several slipped through, Selena's pulse quickened in panic—until a searing wall of black flame erupted before her, instantly turning her attackers to ash. She glanced over to see Tio standing there, face drained white, her breathing ragged.
"That was the last one," Tio gasped weakly, nearly collapsing.
Selena forced herself upright again, gritting her teeth as she renewed her assault. Her precise, measured strikes swiftly gave way to desperate and chaotic blows as the husks surged forward with unrelenting fury. She began trading vicious blow for blow, sacrificing careful technique in favor of raw aggression. Blood splattered across her face, arms, and shredded clothing as claws tore her flesh and blades sliced through her defenses. Selena willingly accepted these wounds, deliberately placing herself in harm's way—preferring personal suffering over allowing even one enemy to threaten her companions.
But despite her fierce resistance, the enemy surged onward relentlessly. Larger, more imposing monsters, far stronger than even the enhanced husks, crashed through Selena's defenses, breaking past her line once more. Selena's pulse quickened with dread; she recognized that she had failed again. Yet, just as despair crept into her heart, the warriors atop the fortress walls rallied defiantly. They unleashed volleys of flaming arrows and massive boulders onto the battlefield, smashing into the charging beasts with devastating force. Selena felt relieved that the defense would hold.
Just then, a powerful, mana-infused roar tore through the air—Hajime's voice echoing fiercely across the battlefield. Monsters nearby, panicked and desperate, glimpsed a chance to flee as Hajime's presence cleared a path behind them. Many immediately turned and retreated, abandoning their fight in a chaotic rush to safety. Yet, those closest to the fortress walls ignored Hajime's threat entirely. They pushed forward desperately toward the city, evidently hoping the husks would find easier prey among the defenseless townspeople rather than themselves.
Selena glanced up breathlessly to see Hajime striding grimly toward her position. Without hesitation, he dispatched the remaining husks Selena had struggled to contain. Most of the enemy had collapsed by now, their mana reserves completely spent. Selena had already observed how rapidly the husks exhausted their mana once she severed limbs or inflicted significant wounds, spilling energy recklessly to regenerate lost body parts. Now, their lifeless forms littered the ground around her.
"You look terrible," Hajime remarked dryly, eyeing Selena's battered and bloodied state. "Want me to set up a quick changing room?"
Selena managed a weak laugh between exhausted breaths. "Ha…ha… Yeah. Can't let the townspeople see me like this—we need them to believe we're strong."
Hajime sighed, shaking his head even as he raised three earthen walls around her, offering privacy to quickly change. "You really didn't need to push yourself that hard for them."
"Weren't you the one who wanted to set Aiko up as some kind of goddess figure? Seems like you're undermining your own plans." Selena asks, quickly changing clothes behind the makeshift barrier.
"Shut up," Hajime muttered, "It was necessary."
She emerged shortly afterward, now looking far more composed despite her exhaustion. Glancing around, she frowned suddenly. "Wait—where's the boy?"
Hajime smirked, tugging lightly on a rope in his grasp. Behind him, Yukitoshi lay unconscious, bound and dragged roughly along the dirt. "Oh, him? I gave him a fair chance—told him if he could beat me in a test of strength, I'd let him run. Obviously, he failed."
Selena gave Hajime a disapproving glare. "You do remember he's one of our classmates, right?"
"Yeah. So?" Hajime replied dismissively, looking down coldly at Yukitoshi. "Why should I care? He tried to kill our teacher and annihilate an entire city. Dragging him around like this is the mildest punishment I can think of that doesn't involve killing him outright."
Selena sighed quietly, resigned but not entirely comfortable with his reasoning. They had survived this brutal encounter, yet she knew this was merely the beginning of far greater battles to come.
"At least you still have a heart in you"
In the battle's aftermath, Selena had inadvertently left a profound impression upon both her classmates and the church's knights. It wasn't Hajime's overwhelming firepower, Yue's devastating magic, nor Tio's destructive black flames that lingered most vividly in their minds. Instead, it was Selena's fierce, brutal fighting style—up close, personal, and relentless—that resonated deeply, leaving Yuka and the members of Aiko's Defense Corp shaken with a mixture of awe and dread. Witnessing Selena single-handedly confronting an entire army left them horrified at their own inadequacies; many struggled simply to find the strength to rise back to their feet.
As Hajime, Shea, and Selena leaped gracefully back onto the city walls, Hajime raised his voice to address the exhausted yet victorious warriors of the City of Ur.
"We've won today!" he declared confidently. "Prepare yourselves—a feast to celebrate our victory is in order!"
Cheers and relieved chatter quickly erupted throughout the ranks. Everywhere, people exchanged animated stories and vivid recollections of what they'd witnessed during the fierce conflict, with Selena's name frequently at the center of their excited conversations. Meanwhile, Hajime deliberately kept Yukitoshi hidden from sight, ensuring the celebration wasn't tainted by his presence.
Only after everyone had dispersed did Hajime finally drag Yukitoshi forward, presenting him roughly before Aiko.
"Oh no!" Aiko gasped, rushing forward to inspect him. "What happened to him? He looks awful!"
"Unfortunate accident. He tripped," Hajime replied dryly, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Honestly, he's lucky that's all that happened."
"Hajime," Aiko admonished gently, her expression concerned. "He's still one of your classmates. You could at least try to be a bit nicer."
"Tch. Whatever," Hajime scoffed, folding his arms. His voice turned serious. "Listen, I already searched him thoroughly. He was carrying this staff,"—he held up the confiscated weapon—"and these deadly poison-tipped needles. Clearly, he wasn't here to negotiate. To keep things safe, I placed mana-absorbing shackles on him, so he won't be casting magic anytime soon. And there's no key—I'll unlock them only when I decide he's harmless enough. Right now, he's just a troublemaking student, definitely no hero."
Aiko sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Thank you, Hajime, for not killing him. I know you easily could have. I appreciate you respecting my wishes."
Hajime's serious expression softened slightly into a wry grin. "Only for you, Sensei. But I hope you realize you've got your work cut out for you. When he wakes up, you'll see he's already well on his way to madness…"
Selena quietly drank the health potion Hajime had handed her, carefully saving their limited elixirs for actual combat situations. Even as her wounds began healing, the full weight of her exhaustion quickly caught up to her, exasperating the migraine she felt as well as draining the last of her strength.
'Damn,' Selena thought, 'I wish I had some Advil.'
"Hey, Hajime," she murmured tiredly, struggling to keep her eyes open. "Can you summon the car? I need to rest."
"Yeah, sure," Hajime replied, his tone gentle with understanding. Of everyone in their group, he knew Selena had pushed herself the hardest, burning out both mentally and physically more than anyone else. Without further delay, he conjured their vehicle, offering her the quiet space she desperately needed to recover.
Selena entered into the back of the car, settling directly behind the driver's position. Her body ached deeply, and exhaustion pressed down on her like a heavy weight. Honestly, she was surprised she hadn't already passed out from sheer fatigue. Just as her eyes began to flutter shut, the opposite door opened quietly, and Tio slipped into the seat beside her, a concerned expression etched clearly onto her face.
Without saying a word, Tio immediately cast a low-level healing spell. Warm relief spread through Selena's tired limbs, easing the deep aches and pains slightly. She let out a slow breath, finally releasing the tension she'd unknowingly held.
"Thank you," Selena whispered softly, glancing at Tio with weary gratitude.
"You're very welcome," Tio replied gently. Gone entirely was the teasing, playful demeanor she usually carried. In its place stood a woman solely focused on the wellbeing of her comrade.
Selena offered a faint smile. "You know, Yue probably has more mana than you right now. You nearly fainted after casting that last spell earlier."
Tio's expression tightened, a flash of heat crossing her eyes as she retorted sharply, "And who exactly jumped down alone to face an army of twenty thousand? You nearly died out there, Selena."
Selena noted the strain in Tio's voice and the way she was clearly holding back further reprimands. Closing her eyes briefly, Selena sighed, admitting softly, "I just didn't want to ruin Hajime's carefully laid plans. He went through all that trouble to hype Aiko up as a goddess…We needed a flawless victory."
Seeing Selena's eyelids grow heavier, Tio softened once again, speaking gently. "Hush now, just rest. Knowing Hajime, he'll drag us off on another wild scheme before the night's done anyway. He already mentioned it—after seeing this army, he believes the city's defenders are at a severe disadvantage."
Selena's eyes flickered open slightly at that revelation. "Really...? When did he say that?"
"As he walked away earlier," Tio answered quietly. "But it seems you understood already, considering how fiercely you fought those creatures. Their true horror is unimaginable. What do you call them?"
"Husks," Selena murmured sleepily. "They're mindless…and damn hard to kill."
"An apt description," Tio whispered thoughtfully, her eyes drifting into contemplation. Selena watched Tio's pensive expression through half-lidded eyes; it was the last thing she registered before exhaustion finally claimed her, pulling her into deep sleep.
Tio continued gazing at Selena in quiet wonder, marveling at the girl who had fought far beyond what anyone expected or demanded. Even if a few soldiers had fallen, Aiko's reputation as a goddess would still have been intact, yet Selena had thrown herself into danger to protect every last life she could. Tio struggled to understand what could drive someone to push herself to such extreme limits, especially when easier solutions had existed.
At that moment, the car door opened again, and Hajime, Yue, Shea, and a visibly worried Will peered inside, immediately noticing Selena fast asleep and Tio watching protectively over her.