““““So you’re just jealous!?”””””
Those who started complaining at the same time were Shizuku, Aiko, Liliana, and Yuka, who had just recovered from a near-death injury.
However, everyone should be understanding of Hajime. Putting aside his physical appearance, the soul inside, a stranger to Yue who had no connection with him, kept calling out his former beloved by name, and in the end, even wanted to hug her.
For Shi, such a crime is certainly worthy of death.
“Hajime… Really…”
Yue began to act coy. Her wavering gaze had completely regained its composure, and her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink. The atmosphere between them became as sweet as sugar.
“Hajime… I’m sorry. I made you see my cowardly side.”
It was truly pathetic, truly shameful. Looking back now, Tinreed's voice possessed an inexplicable power that seemed to penetrate the heart.
Furthermore, for Yue now, even if that Tin Reed were real, she wouldn't have been able to hold his hand and accept him. Whether it was the unforgettable memories or the unforgettable betrayal, they were all overshadowed by the happiness Hajime had given her. More importantly, she was still burdened with an extremely important promise.
Having these was enough. While she was talking to this unknown figure in Tinrid's guise, Hajime's hand had always been there to support her. That hand was so warm; if she had paid more attention to that warmth, she wouldn't have been so cowardly.
Because of his wavering mind, he was almost taken advantage of by the enemy. Such a loss of composure made Yue really want to pinch his own face.
"No need to apologize. I know how important the past is to Yue."
"Hmm... Hajime, I like you the most."
Yue rested his forehead against Hajime's arm. Then, he turned his gaze to Shia, who had returned with Myuu and Remia, as well as Tio and Kaori.
"...Shia, and everyone, thank you too. I love you all so much."
The reason why Shia and Kaori were able to act quickly and Tio was able to identify the soul without any discussion was because they were all like Hajime, who was only thinking about protecting Yue. No matter how the conversation progressed, they never let down their guard.
"Hehe, this is just a small matter, nothing! I could tell from the beginning that guy is not Miss Yue's uncle at all!"
"Eh? Shia, is that true? I just saw Hajime-kun being wary of him, so I was wary too, that's all."
"Until I confirmed the soul, I was only half-believing and half-doubting. How did you see that?"
"It's just intuition!"
“…Hmm, as expected of Shia.”
That's the only way to sum up Shia's misbehavior. Shia added, "Also, that guy's always smiling and pretending to understand Yue-san, which just makes me uncomfortable." It seems she, like Shi, harbors jealousy towards Tinrid.
After Kaori had cured almost everyone, Myuu and Remia came to Hajime's side. Just as they were about to celebrate their reunion with a hug,
“Ugh!?”
Tio's body flew horizontally along the ground, her back slamming hard into a pillar. The pillar was shattered, demonstrating the sheer force of the destructive force. Tio lay face-down in the rubble.
"Tio!"
"Don't worry... cough!"
Tio struggled to stand, but immediately fell to one knee. Tio, known for her tenacity, was so injured that she couldn't get up immediately. Tio coughed up blood, and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.
Hajime immediately pulled the trigger and shot at the person who had blown Tio away. But──
"Hmm~~ You guys really tricked me. You completely took me by surprise. I didn't expect it would take so long to repair my body."
Mocking clapping echoed. At the same time, the bullets blocked by the barrier twisted and deformed, scattering on the ground.
"Seeing how doting you are on your lover, I thought you'd be slow to react even if you noticed something unnatural about the presence of someone who's like a father to your lover. I never imagined you'd unleash a lethal attack for such a reason... I guess I underestimated the pettiness of humans."
Before he knew it, Tinrid was on his feet.
However, unlike before, his tone lacked any warmth and was filled with contempt and ridicule.
The demon king costume he was wearing was intact, even neatly arranged, as if it had never been shot. If it weren't for the fragments of the flying stone rope scattered at his feet, one would have thought it was just a daydream.
"I finally managed to shake her heart, but you've revived her. Now I'll have to resort to a second-best strategy... Alas, I can't face that gentleman."
"...Who are you? Yarbu?"
"Exactly. However, this body belongs to Tinrid."
"...So, you usurped his body?"
Yue raised her right hand and pointed at Yarbu and asked.
Tinrid—no, the evil god Yarbu, who was wearing Tinrid's skin, raised the corners of his mouth as if it were cracked, revealing an obscene and hateful smile.
"Don't be so harsh. I'm just recycling trash. I, Yarbu, am a subordinate deity of Lord Esid. Even after death, your body can still be used by me. Isn't this an honor beyond my duty? You should be moved by him."
Yarbu shrugged, feigning helplessness, then grumbled softly, "This man is truly arrogant and disrespectful. He actually erased your hidden memories and knowledge of Age of Gods magic before his death."
"...You killed Tinrid?"
"What do you think?"
“…Tell me.”
Light flashed with golden light. His red eyes gleamed brilliantly, and a terrifying gravity vortex began to shrink around Yarbu.
However, Yarbu still had a contemptuous smile on his face, as if he didn't feel threatened at all.
"Oh? Is that okay? Maybe everything I said just now was a lie, and Tinrid is still alive, hidden deep within this body."
"...That's impossible. I won't be deceived again."
There was no reason to believe the enemy's words. Hajime and Tio had already proven the truth.
"Improve your lying skills, you worthless fake god."
"I'm going to beat you up this time!"
Hajime and Shia stood in front of Myuu and Remia to protect them, while simultaneously gathering murderous intent towards Yarbu.
Hajime winked, and Kaori nodded, staying by Aiko's side. Shizuku, Ryuutarou, and Suzu also took battle-ready positions.
Seeing the reactions of Hajime and the others, Yarbu sighed.
"Next, I will convey Tinreed's final words before his death. Vampire Princess, these are his final words to you."
"...I told you I don't want to hear your nonsense."
Yue compressed the gravity field without a word. Shia leaped up with such force that she could break the ground. Hajime pulled the trigger—
Afterwards, Hajime deeply regretted what happened at that time, because he cared too much about Yue and let her ask the other party questions related to Tinrid.
Of course, since the space gate to Earth was almost open, and Yue himself had bought a lot of time, it was also as Hajime wished. This was also one of the reasons for Hajime's negligence...
However, the correct answer is to continue attacking with maximum firepower the moment Yarbu stands up.
Even if doing so would completely destroy Tinrid's body and forever lose the opportunity to learn the truth about Tinrid, it should be done.
Even if the result goes against Yue's wishes.
Yarbu shouldn't have said this at this time.
—Eletia. This is all your fault. Die in pain.
“──!”
Could it be some kind of magic? Yue's mind clearly reflected this scene.
Vampire corpses piled up like a mountain, blood flowing like a river. Among them, Tinred spat out blood, uttering cries of grief and resentment. His red eyes, filled with hatred, glared at the moon as if transcending time and space.
The words were like sharp arrows, piercing Yue's heart incredibly deep, even causing her to feel intense pain.
Just at this moment.
Almost at the same time, it happened.
“—『Great Light Explosion』!”
—The radiance after the "Limit Breakthrough" blasted all of his childhood friends who were right beside him back away.
“—Hmm!?”
—Silver light descended from the sky, passed through the ceiling, and pointed directly at the moon.
"Ahaha! — 'Ultimate Crazy Moon'~"
A flickering black moon appeared before Yue's eyes. This magic, capable of completely obstructing consciousness for the blink of an eye, was one of the secrets of dark magic. The culprit was Eri, lying on the ground... no, it was Eri who emerged from the void in a completely different direction, unharmed.
In that brief moment, Yue was unable to dodge or cast any defensive magic, remaining in a state similar to a corpse. In an instant, another attack came towards Yue.
"—'You, do not touch me.'"
—Yalbu snapped his fingers, and Shia, who was approaching him, was immediately sent flying like a ping-pong ball. Simultaneously, a barrier appeared around Yue, trapping her.
“—『Sky Shock』!!”
—Just like Eri, Freed appeared from somewhere else and cast a spatial explosion spell at Hajime.
"Begin subduing."
—Ripples spread across the void, and ten apostles appeared as if seeping out, attacking Kaori and the others simultaneously.
Such a perfect simultaneous surprise attack would be impossible unless the timing was right.
Without even the time to curse, Hajime immediately activated his "Instant Light" at full power. The momentary duration stretched to a few seconds, and the world faded, the flow of time slowed. Hajime took in the situation before him.
The moon was trapped by the black moonlight and the barrier, and was about to be swallowed by the silver light.
Several destructive silver lights were also approaching Aiko and the others, and Kaori stepped forward to block them.
The apostle wielded two greatswords and swung them down at Shia and Tio. Shizuku, Ryuutarou, and Suzu were sent flying into the center of the throne room, with Eri and Kouki pursuing them.
There were also high waves formed by the distorted space, smashing the ground and rushing towards Hajime himself.
One person couldn't handle it all. The enemy's real target must be Yue, and Hajime wanted to rescue her immediately. But...
At this moment, Hajime felt a strong gaze piercing him.
It was Yue. Even as she was about to be swallowed by the light, her gaze still revealed an unwavering determination. Even without words, Hajime understood. It was impossible not to understand.
Oh right, what we should do now is to protect Myuu and Remia.
That was the two people who were defenseless behind Hajime.
"Damn it!"
Even though he cursed, Hajime made the decision in an instant. He couldn't possibly betray the trust that Yue, the one he loved the most, had placed in him.
Hajime summoned a large shield, held it upright on his back, and at the same time extended his prosthetic limbs, hugging Myuu and Remia tightly.
The next moment, the flow of time returned to normal and reality hit us mercilessly.
The intense force of the space explosion shook Hajime's back through his shield. Simultaneously, his impact-reactive armor activated, sending out a magical shockwave—"Magic Shockwave"—to block the attack. He also activated his defensive skill, "Vajra."
Even so, Hajime was still breathless. It felt as if even his consciousness had been shaken.
Hajime tried his best to protect Myuu and Remia, but instead of pressing his feet firmly against the ground, he lifted himself off the ground, riding the shockwave and sending his body flying. Myuu screamed, but Remia was completely silent.
Then, Hajime manipulated the shield to extend the iron needle, twisted his body downward, and plunged the needle into the ground. The needle made a crackling sound like a drilling machine, but finally, with the force of the impact barely suppressed, Hajime landed smoothly.
"Myuu! Remia! Are you okay!?"
“Ah, wow~”
“No, it’s alright…”
Myuu was dazed, and Remia shook her head. Even so, neither of them was injured. Hajime had successfully protected them both from the spatial explosion, finally living up to Yue's expectations.
Hajime turned to look towards the main battlefield, in the direction of the throne.
He saw Shia slamming the ground with Drukken, sending out a shockwave of physical and magical energy, sending several apostles flying in one go.
Kaori unfolded her silver wings covered with decomposition magic, stretched them to their maximum, surrounded Aiko and the others, and resisted the apostles' decomposition bombardment.
Several apostles approached Tio at the same time, and she responded by breathing out dragon breath.
Shizuku was fighting Kouki, her face grim. Suzu seemed injured after hitting a pillar and fell to the ground, bleeding from her head. To protect Suzu, Ryuutarou stood in front of her and confronted Eri. And—
“──!”
The moon has been swallowed by the silver light column.
"moon!"
A burning feeling in his heart forced Hajime to roar. Shia and the others' faces grew even more anxious.
By then, the barrier Yarbu had erected around Yue had vanished, and Eri's "Mad Moon" had dissipated, but the silver light seemed to create a new barrier, trapping Yue within it. She struck the beam of light with her small fist, but only felt a hard touch. She seemed to want to say something to Hajime, but her voice was completely inaudible.
Yue narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, space twisted and erupted with spatial magic that cut through everything.
“──!?”
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