An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Two red flashes each rushed towards Freed and Eri from an impossible angle.

In an instant, the two apostles accompanying the two men took action, blocking the trajectory of the bullet with speed so fast that it left an afterimage, and crossing their two greatswords to block the flash of light.

「!?」

"This power...is different from before."

The two apostles' eyes widened slightly. That simple flash of light had pierced a hole in the first of their greatswords and left a crack in the second. Another strike would likely be unstoppable. Freed broke out in a cold sweat, and Eri's expression twitched stiffly.

"N-No! Please, wait a minute! Nagumo-san, you promised Ling about Eri, didn't you!?"

"Don't panic, Taniguchi. I'm using the flat of my blade."

"Where did the bullet come from?!"

Suzu's entire body hung on Hajime's arm. However, Suzu's light weight was no match for Hajime. His arm remained perfectly steady, pointing the gun straight to the side.

It was a space gate. The gun was pointed at a space gate about the size of a palm. There were four space gates in total, one to the left and right of Hajime and one diagonally in front of Fried and the others.

This was a cross-dimensional shooting he and Yue had done together. This was probably to avoid the space gate that Freed had set up right in front of them.

Judging from the trajectory of the bullet just now, the shot he aimed at Huili was indeed aimed at the shoulder; however, the destructive power of this bullet was enough to destroy the apostle's greatsword. If it had hit the shoulder... if only a hand was blown off, it would probably be considered a disaster. As for Fried, he aimed at the head without mercy.

"You lunatic!"

"If I'm a lunatic, then you're a complete idiot. Those people are not capable of being hostages; that's a proven fact."

Inside Fried's space gate, the hostages seemed to have heard gunshots, and Aiko was constantly turning her head to look around.

Hajime glanced inside the door, dropped the bell from his arm, and continued:

"Even if they obey, there's no guarantee they'll be safe. If it were me, I wouldn't believe that joke either."

It seemed as if these words were addressed to the shaken Ling, Guanghui, and the others. "And..." Hajime added in a low voice, his eyes fixed on Freed, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"It shouldn't be a problem if I kill you all first and then accept the invitation, right?"

It seems that he had always intended to charge into the Demon King's Castle.

Indeed, even if his classmates were taken hostage, they would be unable to stop Hajime.

But even so, he still wants to save those who can be saved. In this respect, he is a little different from before.

Ling, who fell to the ground, and Guanghui and others beside her noticed this, and their expressions turned into embarrassment, not knowing what to do.

"Of course I understand that."

Fried narrowed his eyes, and his hands holding Uranus's reins trembled with strength.

"Of course I couldn't forget. So, we've prepared another invitation."

At this point, his expression turned to one of amusement and mockery.

Since fellow countrymen couldn't make effective hostages, he'd find others. His confident attitude seemed to suggest this.

In fact, it was just as Fried thought.

The spatial portal began to move again. The scene left the cage holding the students and pointed to the other side of the throne. Behind the pillar, there was a small cage.

At that moment, all the sounds disappeared.

The extraordinary murderous intent enveloped the surroundings, giving people the illusion that their voices were blocked.

“──!?,!?”

I couldn't breathe. A chill ran through my skin. My instincts kept flashing red lights and warnings.

It was a murderous intent that could freeze even boiling blood in an instant—no, perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it demonic energy. Those who, faced with this feeling, would instinctively try to flee were considered strong.

In reality, the gray dragons led by Freed fell to the ground as if shot, or else went berserk and raged uncontrollably. Their humble spirits and biological instincts could not withstand the dark torrent of terror before them.

Knowing the murderous intent wasn't directed at them, Kouki, Ryuutarou, and even Shizuku wore expressions of pain. Suzu, who was closest to Hajime, felt completely powerless in her legs.

Hajime's condition was so abnormal that even the apostles' expressions changed. Fried, facing this demonic energy head-on, had to bite his lip to maintain his composure. As for Eri, she had already fled to the rear.

"……beginning!"

"moon……!"

Hearing Yue's shout, Hajime's head, which was about to boil with anger, finally calmed down a little.

Hajime immediately pulled out the 'Guiding Compass' from his pocket.

Activate the compass function and start searching.

He searched for the whereabouts of his most important daughter, the one he had promised to meet.

"It seems to be true..."

Hajime had a bitter expression on his face. Seeing this, Shia and the others immediately understood the situation.

Before everyone's eyes, the young Seaman girl trapped in a cage was none other than Myuu herself.

"How could this happen, Myuu-chan!"

"And Miss Remia!"

"I was tricked."

Myuu's mother, Remia, was also imprisoned there. The mother and daughter clung to each other, their bodies trembling with anxiety, but without shedding a single tear, they remained strong and encouraged each other.

"...Looks like you've confirmed it."

Although he was deeply interested in the artifact in Hajime's hand, Fried didn't have the time to ask any more questions. Even when cold sweat seeped into his eyes, he didn't raise his hand to wipe it away. He just gritted his teeth and stared at Hajime.

It was as if if he took his eyes off Hajime for even a moment, that moment would be the day of his death.

"It was you who revealed the relationship between Myuu and me?"

Hajime's gaze shifted, staring directly at Eri, who was hiding behind the apostles.

"Uh, hehe, is it, is it me...? I don't remember."

Her attitude remained the same, haughty and arrogant, but her face was livid, her expression stiff, her speech halting, and her fear completely deceiving her.

After all, neither Freed nor the Apostles had ever met Myuu. The only person who knew that Myuu and her daughter were effective hostages for Hajime and provided that information was Eri, because she had heard about the relationship between Myuu and Hajime in the Orcus Great Labyrinth.

"That's not important. Oddity, let me hear your answer!"

Fried urged Shima to answer, his tone particularly harsh, as if trying to embolden himself.

Hajime looked at Fried as if he were observing an insect.

He still exuded a ghostly aura, but it was no longer as ferocious as before, and he even seemed quite calm. However, this calmness was actually unsettling, as if he were being watched by a ghost hiding in the dark forest.

As a result, Fried's breathing naturally became rapid. He didn't even have time to notice this.

As for Hajime's answer──

"I accept your invitation."

"...You finally made a wise decision."

Freed gasped for air as if his lungs were untied. Having regained the upper hand, he wore a mocking expression.

Then, he used his magic to awaken the fainted or mad gray dragons and began to construct a space gate large enough for the army to pass through.

The apostles, wary of any carelessness, watched the group from above. By this time, the demonic aura emanating from Hajime had finally subsided to a level comparable to ordinary murderous intent, and Guanghui and the others dared to take a deep breath. Yue glanced at them and whispered to Hajime, confirming:

“…Is that really okay?”

"Yes. I could use the Crystal Key to rescue them, but the time difference would be too great. Besides, they should also know that I possess teleportation abilities."

"The other party may have already prepared a countermeasure, right?"

"That's right. If anything were to happen, it would be troublesome. Putting aside the teacher and the students, Myuu and Remia have no ability to resist, and they can't survive this period of time on their own."

Tio was right. If Hajime wanted to, he could use the crystal key and the compass to precisely teleport to the Demon King's Castle where Aiko and the others were trapped.

However, the transfer of the Crystal Key is accomplished through conceptual magic.

Although it has extraordinary performance, the price is that it consumes a considerable amount of magic power, and it takes a long time before the magic is activated.

Speed ​​is paramount in rescuing hostages. Given the current situation, it's unacceptable.

"Nagumo-san, what do you think the Demon King's goal is?"

Shizuku quietly leaned over and asked.

"I don't know. But they might know that I conquered all the large labyrinths and found a way to return."

"What I mean is..."

We finally summoned him here, and if he runs back without permission, it will be troublesome. So we need to negotiate - that's probably what the other party wants.

Furthermore, since conceptual magic to prevent resummoning has not yet been created, even if one returns to Earth, one might be summoned here again. While it's unclear how much effort it would take for a god to resummon, it's likely to be something that greatly troubles him.

"River of Heaven."

"What are you doing, Nagumo?"

"You might have to decide quickly what to do next."

"What do you mean?" Hearing what Hajime said, Ryutaro reacted before Kouki.

"We came to this world because someone called the 'Heroic Summoning'."

"So... I'm the only one they don't want to go back to, right?"

"That's possible. Regardless, I don't think Nakamura will let you go easily."

"..."

Should we go back together? Or should we stay in this world (Todas) and fight against God as we boasted before?

How will Guanghui, who has been shown all kinds of ugly behaviors in the [Ice and Snow Cave] and whose confidence and reserve have been completely shattered, make the final judgment?

"It's your freedom to choose what you want. But please don't make a half-hearted decision that would bring trouble to us."

“…I don’t need you to remind me.”

Ryuutarou and Ling looked at Kouki with worry. Shizuku and Kaori noticed that Kouki was a little depressed, and looked at him with a bit of unease.

"Tsuki, Tio, if a fight breaks out, protecting Myuu and Remia will be your top priority."

"...Yeah. I won't let them get hurt in any way."

"Leave it to me. I will protect them at the cost of my life."

"Shia, just go ahead and make a scene and kill all the enemies."

"Yes, sir. Got it! I'll make them pay with my hammer!"

As the group discussed this, Fried seemed to have completed his preparations.

The huge space gate stands like a big door.

"Anomaly. Before I take you there, you must disarm first."

"what?"

"Also, we need to seal the magic power with shackles."

"..."

He produced handcuffs with a clang. They were very similar to the ones that had been placed on Aiko, Kouki, and the others during the invasion of the capital.

Although it was an invitation in name, the way they were treated was completely like captives.

Thinking of this, Hajime narrowed his eyes. At this moment, a pair of handcuffs were thrown in front of him.

"You have to put it on yourself."

Perhaps because he had been bullied so many times and was feeling quite unbalanced, Fried's sarcastic attitude was unprecedentedly ugly.

He shouldn't have been so petty before...

Could it be that the series of defeats and the deep hatred he felt for Hajime had caused his personality to change drastically? Or was it that the deeper the degree of fanaticism, the more his inner self would change in a proportional way?

Regardless of the truth, Hajime's conclusion will not change.

"Tell me what you're talking about in your dreams."

Hajime stepped on the handcuffs, making a clanging sound.

"I told you, you have no right to refuse! Or are you planning to leave that mother and daughter to die? I'm warning you, I will show no mercy to those ugly, inferior hybrids!"

Fried looked surprised for a moment, then immediately frowned angrily and threatened.