An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Yuka deliberately lowered her head like the rest of her companions, letting her bangs obscure her expression. She observed the situation calmly.

It is the apostles and monsters that restrict our actions.

However, the apostle did not monitor Yuka and the others who were gathered together. In order to prevent them from interfering, he stood between them and Yarbu, and turned his back to them.

Kaori, whose functions had been forced to stop, was also nearby, but because she was pinned down by the giant wolf, the apostles didn't seem to be on guard against her.

The twin greatswords Kaori wielded were originally belonging to the Apostle, restored and used by her. Apparently, because of this, the swords were not destroyed by Esid. Instead, they were simply retrieved by the Apostle and currently worn at his waist. However, the Apostle's gaze remained fixed on Hajime.

As for the other apostles—Jalb had one on each side, while Tio, Shizuku, and the others also had one each standing between them and Jalb. As for the monsters, most of them were scattered around the group, but at a distance, mostly just watching. They were probably just there to block the retreat route.

In other words, there are currently no enemies paying attention to Yuka and the others.

They were undoubtedly treated as insignificant. And indeed, that was the case. For the apostles, the only person they needed to be wary of was Hajime, even if he was near death.

Yuka closed her eyes for a moment. Ignoring the sweat dripping down her body, she focused on gathering her thoughts and motivating herself.

After confirming that Yarbu's full attention was on Hajime, she moved silently.

“──!”

Someone's body twitched. It was Aiko. Suddenly, she felt someone touch her hand, and her mind, previously dazed by the unbelievable reality, suddenly cleared up.

(Teacher Xiao Ai, please be quiet.)

(Sonobe-san?)

Yuka leaned against Aiko, whispering to her in a whisper.

(Teacher, what you told me before, can you do it now?)

(You mean…?)

Aiko looked confused, and Yuka continued to whisper to her. After understanding Yuka's intention, Aiko's eyes widened and she looked at Yuka with disbelief.

Yuka's eyes were right before her. Her eyes held a clear determination, like someone willing to leap across a chasm between cliffs to achieve what they sought. That look made Aiko gasp.

However, Aiko's attitude changed in the blink of an eye.

Aiko, who had almost fallen into a daze, looked back at Yuuka with renewed strength in his eyes. Then, he nodded subtly but firmly. At this time—

(Xiao-Xiao You, I brought little Endo here...)

(Yuuka? What are you planning to do?)

Nana and Taeko quietly came up behind Yuka, and Kosuke followed them.

While Yuka was talking to Aiko, she reached behind her, signaling to Nana and Taeko. The two girls seemed to understand just by looking at her. It was clear she was terrified the Angel might turn around at any moment.

Yuka quietly left Aiko's side, and Aiko tiptoed to Liliana's side.

(Sono, Sonobe?)

(Endo, listen to me. I need your help.)

Kosuke was confused. In order to let Nana and Taeko hear her, Yuka asked them to stand close to her and asked Kosuke to move in front of her and whisper to her from behind.

Yuka then explained her thoughts to Kousuke. He gasped, mirroring Aiko's reaction. However, his subsequent reaction was different. His expression was filled with helplessness, like a hollow shell, its soul having left its body.

(…Don’t be silly, that’s impossible.)

(But you still have to do it. It’s something only you can do.)

(How could someone like me possibly…? You saw it in the palace before! I was completely helpless! I’m a useless piece of shit. There’s no way I could defeat them!)

(Don't be so loud!)

Nana warned, and the apostle turned around in surprise. Before that, Yuka and the others had already lowered their heads. "Will we be killed?" Yuka muttered to herself.

The apostle only glanced at Yuka and turned his gaze away.

Seeing this, Yuka grabbed Kosuke's arm from behind.

(I can’t do this… I…)

(I don’t want this to be in vain.)

(──! In vain…?)

This word seemed to strike a chord with Kosuke. Coming back to his senses, he realized he had turned around, as if hearing someone calling him. And then, he saw it. There was indeed a timid look in Yuka's eyes.

Looking more closely, Yuka's face was ashen, and the hand that was holding Kosuke's arm was shaking.

Even so, her eyes remained firm, revealing her determination to carry out her goal to the end no matter how timid she was.

(I don't want all this to be in vain. That guy saved us, and I don't want his efforts to be in vain. Endo, what about you? What do you think?)

(...)

Kousuke and Yuka's eyes met for a brief moment.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aiko passing a message to Liliana, who then relayed it to Jūgo, Kentaro, and Atsushi. Everyone's face was tightened with tension and fear.

Kousuke closed his eyes for a moment. He searched his mind for memories, recalling that day—the day he escaped alone at the request of the knights, and the day he was rescued by Hajime and the others. And also, the day Meld's death.

That was the person he admired like a big brother, but in the end, he lost his life so easily. Kosuke still finds it hard to accept his death, which was as light as a feather. His heart feels like it has been suspended in mid-air, with no sense of grounding.

As a result, he was unable to fight properly when the palace was attacked by the apostles and was easily defeated.

But, if nothing is done even at this critical moment...

What would those knights who risked their lives to save him, and Meld, think?

Kosuke asked himself this question and answered it himself...Finally, he opened his eyes.

(Just try it.)

Kosuke no longer felt powerless or had any thoughts of giving up.

A beat later, Kousuke's presence, which had not been felt since Meld's death—no, it should be said that the presence that had never disappeared since then, disappeared without a trace on the spot, even to the point of absurdity.

Yarbu was completely oblivious to what Aiko and the others were doing, and continued to trample on Hajime's head. Finally, he had vented enough of his anger, and his mood seemed to ease a little.

"Huh, he still doesn't react to such treatment. It seems his spirit must have completely collapsed."

At this moment, a figure rushed out, and the apostle immediately grabbed the man by the back of the neck, stopping him from moving forward.

"Please, please answer my question!"

It was Liliana. Her face was twisted in agony as she struggled to squeeze out words.

Yarbu looked a little surprised. Then he looked up at the sky, as if to confirm something.

"Well, it seems the internment of the demon tribe will take some time to conclude. Very well. Princess of the Kingdom, since this is your last chance in life, I will grant you the honor of speaking your mind."

Yarbu waved his hand, and the apostle immediately let go of Liliana.

The unexpected situation caused Tio, Shizuku, and the others to stare wide-eyed in surprise. Liliana coughed softly a few times, but quickly assumed the resolute demeanor expected of a princess and took a step forward.

"Just now you mentioned the final game and your anticipation for another world. What exactly does that mean? Does God intend to destroy us humans?"

"No."

Yarbu answered without hesitation, leaving Liliana puzzled. But her confusion only lasted for a moment.

"It's not 'humanity' that needs to be destroyed, but 'this world'."

“──!”

"In three days, a great army from the divine realm will be summoned. It will be the army of God, its numbers nearly limitless. Humanity, demihumanity, and even nature will be stripped from the world, and ultimately, this world will be destroyed. Just as the rich natural resources of the western continent were turned into a barren wasteland in order to create the divine realm."

"What!? You're saying the Great Grun Desert originated from... God..."

Hearing the facts that had never been recorded in any history books, Liliana was speechless for a moment.

Her reaction seemed to please Yarbu, and he could not help wanting to say more. His face was covered with a malicious expression as thick as mud, and he continued:

"You should be honored, Princess of the Kingdom. The starting point of destruction will be the Kingdom of Heilig. Don't forget to look up at the sacred mountain. When the divine gate opens there, your people will be wiped out by the gods they have long worshipped!"

"This is crazy... Both you and God are crazy!"

"All is as my Lord wills. After seizing the magical power of all things in heaven and earth, we will carry the divine realm across the walls of the world! My master will open up new horizons in another world and become a new God!"

As he finished speaking, laughter echoed throughout the throne room. Yarbu opened his arms, his expression dazed, and looked up at the sky.

His words were so horrifying and cruel that Shizuku and the others' expressions twisted in grief.

Imagine the tragic future that may be faced by the family, friends, and important people left behind in your hometown, and imagine the tragedies that have happened again and again in this world.

No one could tolerate such a future. However, there was nothing they could do about the current situation, and they could only tremble with anger at their own powerlessness.

However, Shizuku and the others had forgotten one thing. It was a possibility that even Yarbu hadn't considered.

Because Shizuku and the others thought they were just people they should protect.

Because in Yarbu's eyes, they are all just insignificant and tiny existences.

They all forgot that there was another person present who could use Age of Gods magic.

"I will never let you do that! Never!"

At this time, the voice of another person was heard.

Yarbu narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. What he saw was—

Arms covered in wounds dripped with blood, and with that blood, complex magic circles were drawn on the backs of both hands and on the ground.

"Giving light to the dark souls—'Soul Calming'!!"

The man placed his hands on the ground and, with a resolute expression, cast a soul spell to remove all abnormalities. It was Aiko who cast the spell, and it emitted a light pink glow.

A pale pink light radiated violently in all directions. It was a flash of counterattack, flashing across the entire throne room in an instant.

"As expected of you, Ai-sensei. Rin! Ryuutarou! Protect Myuu-chan and Remia-san!"

"B-But Ling, we don't have any divine weapons!"

"Even so, we have to do it!"

Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryuutarou, who had been paralyzed by the hallucinations of physical injury and death, all jumped up at this moment, as did another figure some distance ahead of them.

"That move is called Divine Words, right? You're truly admirable, Shia, for being able to single-handedly shake off such a strong suggestion."

Tio stood up with a self-deprecating smile on her face. She stretched out her dragon tail from her waist, tightly wrapped it around the giant stone wolf, and flung it towards Yarbu quickly.

Yarbu unleashed a magic bullet, easily shattering it. At the same time, upon hearing Tio mention Shia's name, he couldn't help but turn his gaze towards her. He was met with an incomprehensible sight, and blinked in confusion.

Shia, who had collapsed against the wall and was buried under the rubble, was gone. Only a pool of blood remained. At this moment—

“──! You, you are…”

"babble!"

There were cries of surprise and brief wails.

Looking closely, the apostle standing in front of Aiko and the others was turning back and looking at Kosuke who was holding two big swords.

The apostle was shocked to find that the two big swords that were taken back from Kaori's hands and put at his waist had disappeared.

He was able to conceal his presence to such an extent that even the apostles couldn't detect it. No, at this level, his presence was almost diminished.

As the only person who could ignore all monsters and come and go freely in the lower levels of the [Orcus Great Labyrinth], and a man whose presence was extremely low before he was summoned, Kosuke still showed his strength even when trembling with fear.

"Yaegashi! Take it──!"

Kousuke threw one of the great swords at the unarmed Shizuku.

"Hmph, interesting. Let's play with him."

"As commanded."

The apostle, who had committed a serious fault, raised his greatsword and slashed at Kosuke. Faced with the overwhelming pressure from the apostle himself and the fierce silver light emitted by the greatsword, Kosuke could only roll back to avoid it.

“Hmm!”

“…! Shia Hauria! Are you trying to get in the way again!?”

Xia snatched the greatsword from Kosuke, stood between the two sides, and caught the apostle's sword at the critical moment.

Before the apostle could swing his second greatsword, Shia preemptively launched it into the air, forcing the apostle to raise one hand high. Then, with a swift, swift footstep, Shia advanced sharply and struck the apostle with an elbow. The apostle's body bent into a U-shape and flew away.

"You must be Miss Tsuji Ayako, right? Thank you for treating me! And thank you, sir, whom I've never met!"

"No, you're welcome."

"Uh, you and I have already met..."

Ayako, the healer and forehead-handler on Nagayama's team, nodded respectfully in response. Kousuke, having narrowly escaped death, remained terrified, yet unable to stand, he continued to mutter his complaints.