An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

But it seems that Phantom was just planning to lure Hajime away from the very beginning.

Phantom didn't care that his attack was knocked away and teleported to Guanghui's side.

Guanghui held his knees and swung the holy sword desperately. However, the phantom easily deflected it and put its mouth close to the other's ear. It looked like a devil speaking sweet words, and a cold glint lurked in the depths of its eyes.

After hearing what Phantom whispered, Guanghui looked at Hajime and Phantom in turn with his bloodshot eyes, hesitated for a moment, and nodded reluctantly.

Immediately afterwards, the phantom's form underwent a strange transformation. Its outline gradually blurred like twilight, its form becoming increasingly thin. In its place, dark particles of light began to swirl.

"Come on, it's hero time. Save the heroines from the evildoers!"

"Stop making so much noise, stop ordering me around! I'm only borrowing your strength this time! Don't forget, after you defeat Nagumo, it'll be your turn!"

The phantom smiled wickedly. The next moment, the black particles transformed from the phantom entered Guanghui's body.

Instantly, Guanghui's body began to pulse. The throbbing sound echoed throughout the trial hall, and the pure white light surrounding Guanghui began to blend with a darker light. Like blood mixed with milk, the eerie color gradually spread across the trial hall.

Guanghui staggered to his feet. A closer look revealed that the injuries on his shoulders and knees had completely disappeared.

"How long are you going to make me wait?"

Hajime, unusually obedient, waited patiently, watching the transformation from hero to villain unfold before his eyes. Then, impatiently, he began firing.

That said, the attack itself was exceptionally fierce. He casually threw several grenades while firing.

The staggering Guanghui didn't dodge, instead allowing the crimson flash to pierce through her shoulders and legs. Then, the grenade that rolled to her feet exploded and burst into flames, completely devouring Guanghui.

"it's useless."

However, what emerged from the flames was not the scarred glory, but these words.

The voice was filled with a hint of joy, even trembling with pleasure. It seemed the attack hadn't caused him any serious damage. A blend of pure white and dark magic erupted like a spring, dissipating the flames.

Standing before Hajime was a single eye dyed red and black, becoming a two-colored pupil. The gunshot wound from earlier seemed to have almost healed.

Perhaps it was the hero's skill 『Physical Resistance』〔+ Healing Power Increase〕〔+ Impact Mitigation〕, which, like the explosive increase in magic power, had a significant strengthening effect.

In addition, a few strands of pure white were streaked through his otherwise brown hair, and several red and black lines like veins appeared on his holy armor. Most noticeable were the two swords he held in his hands—the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword.

"Have you merged with the phantom?"

"It's against my will, but I have no choice but to do this in order to defeat you. But I'll take care of this guy as well later."

"Idiot, you simply succumbed to temptation."

"Bark all you want. No matter what you say, you can't defeat me. With this boundless power, I can take it all back!"

"That's how you ended up like this. Why don't you understand?"

“There’s no point in talking any more. Wake up, Nagumo!! — 『Ba Kui』!!”

The light unleashed a multiplied magical power. The ultimate form of "Limit Break," "Overpowered Smash," which increased all abilities fivefold, caused the light's stats, having absorbed the phantom, to surpass 10,000. Judging by the numbers, it was clear that this was simply the rate at which the monster's level would increase.

Guanghui raised his two swords—and in an instant, his figure became blurred.

“Drink!!”

A powerful shout echoed from behind Hajime. In the blink of an eye, Guanghui circled behind Hajime, crossed the holy sword and the demonic sword, and slashed at Hajime in a cross-shaped formation.

Hajime didn't even look back.

(Done!)

As Guanghui felt certain, a sinister joy surged in his heart. In an instant, the familiar sound of explosions rang out three times.

At the same time, the two swords were deflected like marbles, and the impact hit Guanghui's abdomen, which was full of flaws.

The force of the blow, like a heavyweight boxer delivering a powerful blow with all his strength, instantly knocked Kouki out of breath.

Although he was knocked backwards, he managed to adjust his posture in mid-air and landed smoothly.

(He shouldn't have had time to react!)

Guanghui endured the pain flowing deep in his abdomen, his heart full of doubts.

The answer was right in front of him—Donal's gun was pointed directly at Kouki, who was behind him. That's right, Hajime had simply twisted his wrist to snipe Kouki.

It wasn't that he was too late to react.

But there is no need to even look back.

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Guanghui was filled with rage, nearly driven mad by humiliation. He channeled all his emotions into murderous intent and swung his swords once more.

“—『Sky-soaring Flash: Storm』!!”

Guanghui finally used his additional ability. His stubbornness and pride had long since vanished, leaving him to let hatred and murderous intent drive his body. Hundreds of wind blades, spreading across a wide area, attacked the enemy, their invisible slashes like a scattergun attack.

After the explosive growth of Guanghui's power, its scale and power have reached the level of annihilation magic.

However, facing hundreds of slashing storms, Hajime simply dodged them by moving left and right as lightly as a leaf, and offset or redirected the attacks that he could not dodge in time.

Even if the naked eye couldn't see clearly, any magic would definitely be reflected in Hajime's magic eyes. Coupled with the "Blink of Light" that expanded his perception range, Hajime was able to find an evasive route even in the midst of a violent storm.

In addition, the vast experience accumulated by Shi and the extremely rational movements honed through practical training allowed Shi to successfully dodge even his own electromagnetic cannon, not to mention the wind blades that were invisible to the naked eye.

When he was at ease, he could of course launch a counterattack. So, with his exquisite spear skills, he seamlessly coordinated his evasive movements, aiming at his opponent as naturally as breathing.

At first glance, it looked like a random shot, but incredibly, it passed through the gap between the wind blades and hit Guanghui's feet. The shot seemed to miss, but in fact it was not, because the next moment -

“Wa ...!”

A crimson shockwave erupted. The ground was split open like an overturned table, and Guanghui fell headfirst. Although he managed to use his holy sword instead of a crutch to avoid hitting his back, he still exposed himself.

When I came to my senses, Hajime's figure was right in front of me, and the gangster kick followed again.

A spine-chilling crash was heard, and Guanghui's body was suddenly kicked away like a football.

“Damn it—!?”

He didn't even have time to curse. Donal & Hulak's dark jaws were already trained on the radiance that was being thrown into the air.

At the critical moment, Guanghui used his "Aerodynamics" to kick into the air, trying to escape the firing line. However, the muzzles of the two revolvers subtly shifted towards Guanghui, aiming at the position he would reach in the next second. Seeing this, Guanghui's face twitched.

The light and Hajime's senses slowed down as if playing in slow motion. In this faded world, Hajime hesitated for a brief moment.

He was wondering whether he should move the sight back to its original position.

Frankly speaking, Hajime really wanted to put an end to this troublesome matter right then and there. In other words, he intended to deliver a fatal blow.

But Shizuku's desperate plea to Hajime to spare Kouki, and her image of trying desperately to persuade him to save her childhood friend, flashed through his mind.

And in the future, Kaori comforts Shizuku, who is grieving because her wish could not be fulfilled.

Can't stand it...

Who was this whisper directed at?

Hajime gave a faint wry smile and pulled the trigger.

Donal and Hulak each fired three bullets.

The crimson flash of light cut through the wind and launched a fierce attack on the radiance in mid-air.

Like a child's toy, a miserable puppet on a string, Kouki's body trembled, drawing a parabola in the air. Precise shots, calculated even after the initial impact, penetrated parts of the body that weren't fatal.

The next moment──

The light of blood and flesh flying everywhere fell not far away with a bloody sound.

To those around him, he looked like a corpse pierced by bullets. However, Guanghui's movement proved otherwise. He used his swords to support himself and immediately stood up.

Blood spurted from his shoulders, arms, and feet, but they began to heal in an instant.

"You showed mercy, didn't you? Do you look down on me?"

All the parts that were penetrated avoided fatal injuries. The purpose of this wave of attacks was obviously just to make him lose his combat ability.

Guanghui's face twisted in humiliation. He had so desperately wanted to kill Hajime, yet he simply ignored him. The thought of this made his dark emotions boil like magma.

Hajime simply tapped his shoulder with Donal and replied to Kouki, feeling troubled from the bottom of his heart.

"If I kill you, Yaegashi, Kaori, and the others will be upset, right? Killing you would be more troublesome than not killing you. The best strategy is to just beat the crap out of you and then leave it to my childhood friends to clean up the mess."

"S-Stop kidding! I'll make you lose that calm demeanor right now!"

A strong sense of displeasure washed over Guanghui, and he impulsively pounced towards Shi.

Hajime's words made it seem as if he was more concerned about Shizuku and the others than himself.

In order to deny this, the Glorious Dynasty launched a violent and sudden attack.

However, it is of no use at all.

No matter how much strength he put in, no matter how much speed and arm strength he increased, Shi's cold expression remained unchanged.

His body burned as if on fire, and the dark passion within threatened to burst forth from his chest. Unable to bear the typhoon-like surge of emotion, Guanghui could only wield his sword recklessly and roar in fury.

"People like you... people like you, stop pretending to understand them! I'm the one who truly understands Shizuku and Kaori, and I cherish them more than anyone else! They should be with me, not you! They definitely shouldn't be with someone like you!"

"...Just like a little kid clamoring for candy."

Hajime dodged the haphazard swings of Kouki's swords and pierced Kouki's body with a single strike of his Donar from point-blank range. Although he avoided a fatal blow, unlike his previous attacks on his limbs and shoulders, this time he struck directly at Kouki's torso.

However, this alone was no longer enough to stop Guanghui's current attack. Even if a hole were torn in his body, Guanghui could heal it with a power beyond his limits, allowing him to continue his assault regardless of the damage.

And just as Shi said, he looked like a child crying and making a fuss because the current situation was not satisfactory.

The body, responding to Kouki's negative emotions, further increased its capabilities, continuing to pressure the flesh, which had already been stretched beyond its limits. Perhaps the phantom possessing him was strengthened, and Kouki himself was also strengthened.

Judging from his abilities alone, he had already reached a level that forced Hajime to initiate a "Limit Breakthrough." The swiftness and power of the swords and spears unleashed by Kouki rivaled that of Noin, the "Apostle of God" who had previously battled Hajime. But Kouki, unsatisfied with this, continued to increase his power relentlessly.

“Ohh ...

"..."

Guanghui roared and shouted passionately.

In contrast, Shi remained silent.

Even though Kouki's abilities had risen to the point where they were on par with the 'Apostles of God', Hajime still didn't let out a loud and vigorous shout like he did when he faced Noin.

And he didn't activate "Limit Break" in the end.

Kouki's attacks couldn't reach Hajime. No matter how fast he increased his speed, no matter how much strength he exerted, he still couldn't even scratch Hajime.

The reason is simple, because the glorious spirit is like a small boat floating on the turbulent sea, shaking unsteadily, excited and lacking calmness, and simply longing to defeat the opponent and indulge in pleasure.

An offensive launched in this state of mind would certainly not hurt anyone or destroy anywhere.

At this moment, a part of the ice wall behind Guanghui melted, forming an exit to the road.

Hajime disarmed Kouki's sword and halberd while casting his gaze towards the exit, completely ignoring Kouki's roars and curses. Yue and the others, frowning, rushed into the trial hall. Upon seeing the two men engaged in a fierce battle, they all displayed a mixture of confusion and astonishment, frozen in place, as if wondering, "How could this have happened?"

At this time, Guanghui, who should have noticed the arrival of everyone, just released a brutal murderous aura and hatred.

"It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, everything would have been fine! Kaori and Shizuku would have been mine forever! I could have been a hero and saved the world! But you ruined everything!"

"..."

"You're clearly a murderer, clearly someone who abandons others easily... How could someone as awful as you be admired by so many people!?"

"...Is that why you say they're brainwashed?"

"Is there any other reason besides this!? Kaori and Shizuku are like this, as are Yue, Shia, and Tio. They've all been brainwashed by you! Anyway, your next target is Ryuutarou and Suzu, right? I won't let you succeed! I'm a hero! I'm going to save everyone from you and take back everything! People like you don't even need to exist!!"

Guanghui's inner voice, almost a scream, noisily disturbed his eardrums.

Yue and Shia, who couldn't have failed to hear, narrowed their eyes, while Tio frowned. Deeply shocked, Kaori covered her mouth with both hands, while Ryuutarou and Suzu were speechless, their eyes wide open.

Hajime sighed, then sent a telepathic message to Yue and the others.

"Yue, you are safe too."

"...Yeah, it's okay. Besides that, what's wrong with that idiot?"

"He really is just talking to himself, right?"

Anger laced Yue and Shia's voices. Their beloved had not only been insulted but told he shouldn't even exist; anger was understandable. Furthermore, being addressed by name was also unpleasant.

The two's reactions made Hajime smile slightly.

"To put it simply, this guy lost to his own illusion and went all out, talking to himself, taking it out on me. He thought he could pass the trial if he could just find his true self... but it didn't work. Even Yaegashi, who tried to convince him, ended up in such a miserable state."

Hajime kicked Kouki, knocking him back, and then glanced at Shizuku.

"Shizuku-chan!"