"Ahh, that's great! For a moment, I didn't know what to do."

“Hmm? Why are there humans here… and even demihumans? Never mind. Apostle, please deal with those pagans immediately and return to our God together!”

It was a group of demons. There were about twenty soldiers and less than thirty civilians, men, women, and children. They descended on giant eagle-shaped monsters.

"Don't even think about hurting them!"

"Everyone, get behind us!"

"One after another, isn't it annoying!"

Hearing the demons' malicious remarks and the appearance of the monster, Kaori, Shia, and Shizuku immediately took up their positions—but it seemed unnecessary.

All the eagles' heads flew up into the air one by one, like juggling balls.

All the giant eagles died inexplicably, and the demons on their backs fell off one after another.

The trained soldiers did not fall, but the soldier who first made the malicious remark was cut into four pieces and spurted blood.

What the hell is going on?! — Without even the chance to exclaim, twenty soldiers were chopped to pieces in the blink of an eye.

The reason, of course, is that he has thrown off the chains of denial of existence.

The number of chains wasn't as great as before, so the demon wasn't completely chopped up like the apostles were. However, because of this, chunks of flesh and blood were scattered everywhere, like a scene from a cheap B-grade horror movie.

Nana, Taeko, and other students were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they kept screaming. Some even vomited on the spot.

The demons finally realized the threat to their safety and looked at Hajime with hostility.

“““““──!””””””

After a beat, everyone screamed in fear and retreated. They had seen the look in Hajime's eyes. It was something no one should ever see. Seeing something like that, driven by instinctive repulsion, they began to flee.

"Run, run! Get out of this city—"

The head of the last demon soldier was also separated from his body.

Black and red magic burst from Hajime's body, and the chains around him twisted and twitched like the neck of a Hydra. He gently raised his hand. Faced with the demon pointing at them, the demons were unable to move, like frogs being stared at by a snake.

Then──

—Die.

It was a whisper. But they all heard it. It was the Death God's "Curse," a curse that seemed to corrode both body and soul.

"Apostle! Help!"

An elderly demon-like man desperately sought Kaori's help. He wore clothes of high quality, clearly high-end, and looked quite prestigious. Behind him, he was protecting an elderly woman, also dressed in elegant attire.

"Hajime-san!"

Kaori, whose consciousness was paralyzed by the tragedy she witnessed, finally came to her senses and tried to stop Hajime. However—

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

Before her eyes, the old woman screamed.

The old man's head flew into the air and was cut into very small pieces before falling to the ground and finally destroyed.

“No, no! Hajime-kun!”

“Hajime-san! These people are no longer enemies—”

"Surrender now! Kneel on the ground and raise your hands!"

As demons, these people, while capable of fighting, were ultimately just ordinary people. Even though they harbored contempt and hostility towards the pagans, they had lost all desire to resist after witnessing the giant eagle and soldiers being slaughtered.

Therefore, Kaori and Shia try to stop Hajime, while Shizuku wants the people to clearly prove that they have no hostility.

At this moment, the old woman's screams ceased, and her presence vanished. The indignant young man attempted to fight back, but was immediately cut in half, leaving a sea of ​​blood.

"I, I surrender!"

A demon father, shielding his child behind him, knelt down and raised his hands. Others followed suit, kneeling down in a gesture of surrender.

Whether it is fanatical belief in God or strong sense of being the chosen one...

Faced with this ruthless and terrifying display, there is only the possibility of defeat.

but……

A bloody "swoosh" rang through my eardrums. The sound came from the far corner of the crowd. A serious-looking, elderly man, his body cut diagonally in two, slid to the ground. His face wore an expression of disbelief, shock, and despair.

“!? W-why…”

Someone exclaimed in confusion. Meanwhile, next to the severed man, a woman, seemingly his wife, stared blankly at his body. She, too, had been sliced ​​in half, like an egg being carefully split.

Even if he surrendered, Hajime had no intention of stopping.

Of course, that was the case. Because the emotion Hajime was currently expressing to its fullest extent was—"denial of all existence."

For Hajime, at least in his own mind, everything in this world was considered equally worthless. Therefore, there was no need to take hostages; their existence would only be an eyesore.

There is no need to hesitate to lynch someone.

Despair spread among the demons.

Kaori, Aiko, and the others were stunned by this utterly heartless situation. No matter what they said, Hajime wouldn't listen. He had no idea how to respond and could only let his anxiety grow.

Hajime stared at the man who had just spoken in surrender. No, he was looking at the man's son. He had been standing behind his father, his hand tightly grasping his father's, and he was peeking out from beside him.

Seeing this, the man quickly turned around and hugged his son.

At this time, Shia, Kaori, Shizuku, Tio, Aiko, and Liliana finally broke free from their mental paralysis and tried to rush over to forcibly stop Hajime.

However, a small figure ran forward earlier.

"Dad! No! Become a normal dad!"

It's Mu.

She intervened between the father and son facing death and Hajime, opened her arms and blocked Hajime.

She was trembling. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Her expression was also very stiff, but she still looked directly at Hajime. Her eyes were firm and powerful enough to wake anyone up.

“…Get out of the way.”

The voice was cold and stiff.

She had never shown such a look to Myu before, which shocked Myu greatly and chilled her heart. She was so sad that she almost wanted to kneel down and cry on the spot.

But──

"I, I won't let you!"

Miao absolutely refused to give way.

Because she couldn't allow it. What she couldn't accept wasn't just the demon being lynched.

At the same time, she also didn't want her beloved father to fall into depravity. That was something she absolutely could not tolerate.

Dad is so sad, we can’t just ignore him!

Therefore, Myuu stared at Hajime resolutely, raised the corners of her mouth, and smiled at him. Her eyes were tearful, her expression was stiff, and her fake smile was extremely clumsy.

But no one could make fun of her. Because, anyone could see that Myuu was imitating someone's smile. It was impossible not to see who she was imitating.

That was the expression of someone who remained unyielding even in the face of a desperate crisis.

That was the defiant smile of the father whom Mu admired from the bottom of his heart, the invincible hero.

"Myuu's dad isn't that ugly! He's actually very handsome! He has a stronger look in his eyes! So—"

Miao's courage made everyone gasp.

The young girl before me, who spoke her heart out bravely and resolutely, was like a hero in a legendary story.

The sight of the tiny hero challenging the terrifying monster moved everyone, including the demons. Everyone stared at her in silence.

"Myuu won't lose! Myuu won't lose to my current dad!"

Miao must find his original beginning.

I absolutely cannot let Hajime, with his empty eyes, go far away alone. I must grab his hand before he goes to a place where he can never return!

Hajime's eyes were filled with a surging emptiness, so intense that even Yarbu couldn't bear to look directly at him. But Myuu stared back bravely, his eyes filled with determination. And then—

"...!"

There was a reaction. Hajime, who had previously refused to listen to anyone, finally showed a change in expression. He frowned slightly.

Without a doubt, Hajime lost. So—

“…Don’t make me say it a third time, get out of the way—”

"Hajime-kun."

Facing the current Hajime, Kaori and the others were finally able to take a step forward.

Kaori grabbed Hajime's shoulders tightly and turned him around to face her. Then, with a fake smile on her face...

"Don't forget to grit your teeth."

“──!”

Kaori used all her strength to punch Hajime away. The punch, delivered with such genuine intent, was incredibly powerful that Hajime somersaulted to the ground, unable to get up.

Then, he tried to prop himself up with his elbows, but he couldn't get up. It was as if the strength to stand had been beaten away.

Kaori's face was filled with anger and sadness. She looked at Hajime lying on the ground and said:

"You should wake up. Look at how pathetic you are right now. How long do you plan to embarrass yourself like this!?"

"..."

"You actually treated Xiao Miao—you actually used your own daughter as a punching bag. That's really bad, it's so ugly. If Yue saw you like this, what do you think she would say? Ah, forget it. You've already given up on Yue, so why would she want to stay out of your business, right?"

Kaori's words were as sharp as arrows, causing Hajime's eyes to widen. At the words "giving up Yue," a cold will of resistance surged within him, transforming into light, illuminating his pupils.

Kaori accurately grasped Hajime's psychological changes and continued:

"And what about 'everyone disappear'... I heard it all. Do you think a world without Yue is worthless? That assumption is that you'll never see Yue again, doesn't it? Doesn't that mean you've given up on Yue and have no intention of getting her back? Am I wrong?"

"..."

Hajime's eyes gradually regained their sharpness, as if his mind had cleared up.

At this time, the existence-denying chains surrounding the demons and the black-red light surrounding him gradually diminished, and the color gradually regained its brightness.

Kaori came over and squatted in front of Hajime. Her determined eyes and voice pierced Hajime's heart.

"I'm going to save Yue. Absolutely, no matter what, I'm going to bring her back. Hajime-kun, what about you? Why are you capturing and executing everyone who has no intention of fighting? Do you have the time to waste on such a thing? Are you really giving up? Can you even give up?"

"...Of course not."

Finally, Hajime spoke back.

Kaori fixed her stern gaze on him. Behind her, Myuu also gave him a resolute look, expressing her unwavering resolve.

The gazes of the two created ripples in Hajime's muddy mind, gradually purifying it into clear water, and rationality began to emerge.

At that moment, he felt a sudden impact on his head. Turning around, he saw Shia standing beside him, clenching her fist and pressing it against his head with a wry smile.

"Actually, we wouldn't mind seeing you act like a wimp... But, you have to be a cool dad in front of Miu-chan, right? And you made her so sad, which is really wrong. So... this punch is punishment."

“…You’re right.”

Hajime was completely unable to refute and accepted the blame obediently.

The chains of existence denial began to break on their own, and magic energy ceased to flow from Hajime's body.

"Anyway, let me punish my master."

"I want it too. This is my share!"

Tio and Shizuku also came over and punched Hajime. Seeing Hajime recover, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at them, Hajime realized how dangerous his newly developed concept magic was, and an embarrassed and apologetic expression suddenly appeared.

"...I'm sorry, I almost made an irreparable mistake."

"Never mind, Master also has his moments of self-loathing. Even though it was unconscious, Master never hurt me or anyone else."

"By the way...Tio, you were standing up to defend us just now. Were you sure that Nagumo-san wouldn't attack you?"

“…Who knows, what do you think?”

Seeing Tio playing dumb, Shizuku narrowed her eyes in dissatisfaction.

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