An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"Mr. Hajime, thank you so much."

This thank you was not for being saved by him just now, but for everything related to Mu.

Hearing her thanks, Hajime still didn't turn around.

"No need to thank me, because basically I am the dad after all."

Hearing Hajime's answer, Remia chuckled a few times, and it could be felt that it was not a disguise, but a smile that came from the heart.

On the other hand, at this time, Myuu was...

"Well……"

In the corner of an alley, Miao huddled behind a large piece of rubble.

There was no one around, she was all alone. The ghost town was very eerie and scary, with a nasty smell everywhere.

It's only natural for a child to be paralyzed with fear when suddenly thrown into this situation.

"I have to hurry and save my mother."

It didn't seem natural. Myuu quietly poked her head out from behind the rubble and glanced around. The "unpleasant aura" she'd sensed earlier had faded, and it didn't seem like anything was lurking around.

Miao took a deep breath and stood up with his legs.

It's not that Miao isn't afraid. The evidence is that her body is trembling slightly and her eyes are filled with an unconcealable uneasiness.

However, even so, Myuu still took a step forward.

Just as Shi believed, she mustered all her courage and audacity and moved forward.

The image of her beloved father's back appeared in her mind.

And the strong, gentle and handsome sisters.

Miu used everything he had learned during this short but profound journey, moving forward step by step.

Then, at the exit of the alley, she found a wide road—probably the main road. However, due to the large amount of rubble, the road was in a state similar to that of a rocky terrain.

"Is that... a castle?"

Although it was difficult to see clearly due to the distance, there was a huge castle-like building, a huge tower, and a huge wall extending horizontally in front of the main road.

The surrounding buildings were completely destroyed. There were almost no high-rise buildings, only two to four stories high. Myuu had been to the [Neutral Commercial City of Fren] before, so judging by the amount of rubble, he could probably imagine that the collapsed buildings must have been several times larger.

"...Mom must be looking for Myuu."

Miao muttered to himself, desperately trying to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

"If we can't find anyone here...should we go to that castle?"

That is the most conspicuous landmark in this abandoned city. It is indeed possible that my mother is heading towards that city.

"Dad and the others will definitely come over."

This was a near-certain assumption. Even if she didn't understand the complex terms, Myuu knew that Hajime and the others' actions were 'rational'.

“As long as we get close… Ornis (the bird) will definitely find Myuu, and then we can go find Mom together with Daddy and the others. Maybe Daddy has already found Mommy? Myuu will probably be able to sense the unpleasant feeling, so we just need to move slowly over there…”

Hmm! This plan seems to be working! Miao clenched her fists tightly and decided on a course of action with high spirits.

Looking at the dark and silent road, his legs naturally became weak, but Miao thought of his father and others, and forced himself to cheer up.

"Dad also said that if you give up, the adventure is over! Okay, okay, Myuu can do it! I want to be more passionate! Do your best! I can fly! Yes, we can!"

I don't quite understand what those words mean, but they seem so touching, so I'm using them! I use my father's words to encourage myself!

Myuu is the daughter of the abyss monster! I'm going to charge! And then I set off!

──Go this way.

“Yowahoo!?”

Just as Miao mustered her courage and prepared to leave the alley, a sudden voice interrupted her momentum, causing her to let out a strange cry. Miao quickly covered her mouth with both hands and rolled to hide behind the rubble.

Her heart was beating fast and tears welled up in her eyes. But she couldn't be blamed because she was just a little girl.

—Come this way, young child of the sea.

Myuu's body trembled, but this time, she suppressed her screams with her willpower. The voice seemed to echo directly in her head. Myuu looked around, but couldn't see the owner of the voice.

“Who are you?”

Myuu asked politely, thinking that her mother's teaching was successful, but the owner of the voice just kept repeating "Go this way."

It was really suspicious, but after calming down and listening carefully, Miao felt that the voice gave her a sense of déjà vu.

"...Are you that Mr. 'Shadow'?"

The huge 'shadow' on the other side of the thick fog was probably the one that brought Myuu and the others here.

Contrary to the strong sense of presence, Myuu did not feel a sense of danger or fear. On the contrary, he even felt a sense of security, as if he were being enveloped.

Yes, it's like the sense of security you get when swimming in the ocean.

—Hurry, little child of the sea, danger is approaching.

Perhaps because Myuu didn't move, he got anxious and spoke a little more specifically.

At this time, Miao seemed to have made up his mind.

"This way?"

She probably understood the direction the sound was pointing to.

——Go to your compatriots and seek out the powerful Son of the Sea.

"Is that Mom?" Myuu asked, but the voice didn't answer. Myuu closed her mouth and started forward.

Myuu walked silently through the desolate land. She carefully checked where she stepped, making as little noise as possible. Guided by an uncanny sense, sometimes warning of danger, she would quickly follow instructions and hide, waiting for the ominous presence to pass.

Myuu was calm. A moderate amount of tension could even help his mind and body move smoothly.

This was also because she had experience in moving through dark and dirty places.

Compared to when she was imprisoned in that dungeon, she had someone to lead the way, knew there were rescuers, and didn't have to jump into the sewer. Her situation was much better now. What's more...

"I have to find my mother quickly."

She had a mission. Like herself, her mother had no fighting ability, and the thought that her mother might get hurt again made Miao feel uneasy.

—Sorry.

Suddenly, the voice apologized to her. Myuu remembered that the "shadow" was desperately calling for help.

"Mr. Shadow, Mr. Shadow, what's your name? What do you want me to do for you?"

Since he didn't even know the other person's name, Myuu asked quietly.

However, what he got was a wave of guilty emotions and an even stronger cry for help.

It seems that the "shadow" cannot communicate so clearly, and compared with the powerful feeling of its existence, there is a sense of dissonance between them, but Myuu can probably vaguely understand it.

"Mr. Shadow is very weak..."

The power that pulled Mu and the others over might be its last strength.

──Seeking. Creator, leaving behind time to prove.

Rather than a conversation with Myuu, it was more like a babbling or a monologue.

Despite being guided by the voice, Miu still listened intently. Even though the words were difficult to understand, Miu was almost certain that the person it was talking about must be Dad.

However, the next words from the 『Shadow』 puzzled Myuu.

—Bring two people who were gathered in the same place at different times and are equal to the master, to my side.

"Two, two people?"

Because Mu had only guessed the meaning of the words based on his feelings, he felt confused and had a lot of question marks in his head.

"Wow~ Anyway, let's move forward now!"

Put aside your doubts and focus on moving forward. Even if the route guided by the "Shadow" is a route that avoids unpleasant auras, being distracted by other things can still be fatal.

At this moment, a loud noise was suddenly heard.

"ah!?"

The ground shook, and Myuu couldn't help but jump. There were two or three loud bangs, not just once, but increasingly intense. It was the sound of battle.

The location was behind Mu, about two or three blocks away, and was gradually approaching.

They were still far away from the abandoned city, and Mu would definitely be caught up with her at this speed.

"Is that Daddy?"

Myuu didn't think so. Myuu knew the sounds of Hajime's battle; there were no dry cracks, no bright red flashes, and no explosions. It could have been one of Yue and the others, but...

—Hurry, little child of the sea! Your compatriots are just ahead!

The 'shadow''s' tone grew more urgent, and Myuu could sense a 'disgusting aura' rapidly gathering. Myuu replied, "Okay, okay," and, turning her back to the sounds of battle, broke into a run.

She knew that a disgusting and terrifying aura was chasing her at a rapid speed.

I don’t know if it was because of the battle in the rear or simply because she was discovered.

Regardless, the ominous presence that had previously dodged had clearly tracked Myuu down.

Miao was so scared that she almost cried, but she refused to shed tears. She gritted her teeth and ran desperately.

She no longer had the time to care about the condition of the road. Just like Remia, Mu's delicate feet were soon covered with scars.

But in my anxiety, I tripped...

“Ah!”

Miu fell to the ground, hitting his knee hard and causing tears to well up in his eyes due to the pain.

She raised her head desperately, only to find that she had unknowingly come to a place that looked like a square, and there was "something" behind her.

Miao sat up and looked back.

Then he saw a giant wolf with no fur and flesh exposed.

“Ugh, ah…”

She couldn't even scream, she was too frightened to move. Although her instinct told her to run, her bottom seemed to be rooted to the ground, unable to lift it at all.

The creature in front of me is so ugly and evil.

Small followers began to appear behind the giant flesh wolf, and the same was true in the surrounding ruins and at the other end of the square.

The giant wolf was dripping with blood and flesh, and it seemed to open its mouth wide intentionally to show Myuu.

Then, it lunged at its tiny prey, ready to devour her alive...

At that moment, Mu's vision suddenly became dazzling, and the giant flesh and blood wolf was knocked away.

"Mr. Whale?"

Myuu muttered in bewilderment. As she had said, it was a whale that saved Myuu in that critical moment. However, that whale was very special. It was only about two meters long, its body made of light particles, and it swam in the air.

It seemed that the whale of light collided with the giant wolf of flesh and blood.

The giant flesh wolf, knocked aside, crashed into the ruins, its body buried in the rubble. However, a bloody storm quickly blew up around it, blowing away the rubble. It then roared angrily. In an instant, the smaller flesh wolves rushed towards Myuu.

The whale of light swam over, overlapping with Myuu as if penetrating through her, as if trying to embrace her within its body.

Countless sharp fangs bit into the light particles, but missed Myuu. Then, in a flash of light, the flesh wolves were simultaneously sent flying.

Although Miao survived, he had no time to breathe.

“Wu, wu…”

The battlefield wind, filled with murderous intent, mercilessly weakened Myu's mental strength. Myu trembled uncontrollably, almost fainting from sheer fear.

For a moment, Miao Cunyou thought about fainting and leaving her fate to the Whale of Light to escape the fear. However, she suddenly discovered.

"...Mr. Whale has shrunk?"

It wasn't an illusion, because Myuu herself was also petite, so the whale still completely covered her, but the Whale of Light had indeed become smaller.

"Because you're protecting Myuu?"

There was no answer. Myuu had no idea what this whale of light was, but she knew it had weakened at the cost of protecting her. The warmth that enveloped her was the same warmth she'd felt from the voice of the 'Shadow'...

Myuu gritted her teeth and forcefully wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. Then, with the sword of courage, she slashed through the fear that had frozen her body and stood up.