Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest: Volume 11 - ebook

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CHAPTER I: THE DEMON LORD’S INVITATION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_Now then, how should we handle this?_

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_Guess they’re not gonna let us run._

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

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

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

_Well, that’s a surprise..._

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freid’s speech rang out through the plains.

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

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

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

“May I ask you something?”

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

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

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

At that, Shizuku and Kaori looked up in surprise.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I pity you,” Hajime muttered quietly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hm? Oh, you were here?”

“Ah—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“E-Eri... What happened to you?”

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

“E-Eri...”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Red sparks ran down the revolvers’ barrels.

“What kind of idiot would head straight into the enemy stronghold when they know it’s a trap? If we’re gonna fight anyway, we’re better off fighting here. Let’s settle this once and for all, Freid!” Hajime roared as he grinned fearlessly. He didn’t seem the least bit afraid of the fact that there were 500 apostles before him.

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

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

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

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

His comrades appeared just as determined, too.

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

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

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

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

Everyone’s mana began to swirl around them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gradually, a shocking sight came into view.

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

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

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

“Guys! Sensei!”

“They even took Lily!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Eriiiiii!”

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

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

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

“Ah!”

“Wawawah!?”

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

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

“Ah!?”

“His power has increased yet again...”

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

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

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

“That only works for swords!”

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

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

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

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

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

“You’re insane!” Freid shouted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unsurprisingly, his guess was right on the money.

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

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

“Ah...!”

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

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

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

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

“Hajime!”

“Yue...”

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

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

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

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

“Oh no, Myu-chan!”

“They even kidnapped Remia-san!”

“How craven.”

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

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

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

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

“H-Hahaha... Who knows?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Do you think...?”

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

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

“Amanogawa.”

“What is it, Nagumo?”

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

“What do you mean?” Ryutarou asked.

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

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

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

“......”

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

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

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

“Believe me, I know.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Excuse me?”

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

“......”

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

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

“Put them on yourself.”

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

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

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

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

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

“I told you before, you don’t have the right to refuse! Or do you not care about what happens to those two dagons!? We won’t show any mercy to those two inferior mongrels if you cross us!”

For a moment, Freid looked taken aback, but then he furrowed his brow in irritation and screamed at Hajime.

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

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

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

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

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

Hajime glared at Freid from underneath his white bangs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Irregular. My name is Hearst.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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