episode_0193

After hundreds of years.

I knew what that meant without having to ask or hear an explanation.

Because the man’s face and his energy said it all.

“… … .”

I looked at the man and swallowed dry saliva.

From the moment the man appeared outside the ‘door’, I put a lot of effort into getting to know him.

However, despite all my efforts, I was unable to detect the man.

No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I use my senses to their full potential.

I couldn’t even guess the extent of the man’s power.

But still, I was confident.

I am confident that the man in front of me is the strongest of all the beings I have ever encountered.

I haven’t fought it yet, but I can tell.

Even the swordsman, who was the strongest warrior on the continent, would be nothing more than a firefly in front of the sun compared to this man.

To that extent, the man in front of me is an unbelievable monster.

And, from now on, I have to fight against such a ridiculous monster.

“… … .”

I knew from the start that this would happen.

That the guy and I are going to fight.

From the beginning.

From the moment the man appeared before my eyes, from the moment I entered this world.

So there were no surprises.

but.

“… What is your purpose? Is it still destroying humanity?”

Instead of grabbing the sword, I asked the man.

There was no other intention.

I was just purely curious.

“Hmm?”

The man reacted to my question with a puzzled expression for a moment.

“Yes. It’s just as they say.”

Soon, he nodded slightly.

To that light reaction.

“… Why?”

I asked again.

“… I don’t really feel that kind of will from you.”

Even though the destruction of humanity was being discussed, the man did not feel any particularly negative feelings toward humanity.

No, apart from that, he didn’t seem to think anything of it at all.

I didn’t think it was just a misunderstanding.

Because my intuition told me so too.

“Hoo.”

In response to my question, the man looked at me with interest.

“It’s exactly as you said. Ferdion.”

He nodded with a calm face.

“I don’t really think I want to destroy humans.”

The man said that in a very calm voice.

“… Then, why are you trying to eliminate humanity?”

In response to that calm answer, I immediately asked the man again.

If you don’t really want to destroy humanity, why are you trying to destroy it?

In response to my question, the man slowly shifted his gaze, looked at the still prostrating religious leader, and spoke.

“Because that’s a condition of the contract.”

From that gaze and that calm voice, a guess flashed in my mind.

And, I said that guess out loud.

“… The leader of the cult is the ‘one who succeeded.’”

“Hoo.”

The youthful interest in the man’s eyes deepened.

When I saw that reaction, I had a hunch.

That my guess was not wrong.

In the distant past, the empire that was destroyed by the devil and the current situation were quite similar.

So much so that it cannot simply be dismissed as a coincidence.

The similarity can be understood if we assume that the sect leader is ‘the one who succeeded.’

Not only that, but other parts as well.

“Indeed, the ban was imposed for that reason.”

Cheryl said:

Even ‘devils’, transcendent beings with god-like power, have limitations.

They need to pay a high price for interfering with other worlds.

From that perspective, imposing a ban on all mankind and the world would inherently require paying a considerable price.

Perhaps, it is not easy for a devil with endless power.

But the man actually put a ban on this world.

He hid Ferdion’s death and prevented everyone living in this world from being interested in the origin of monsters.

That part can also be resolved if we assume that the religious leader is the ‘one who succeeded.’

If the cult leader had sacrificed his soul to the man, and through him the man had devoured part of the origin, it would not have been difficult for the man to place a ban on this world.

“The intention is… Was it to open the ‘door’ again?”

Then I guessed the intention.

The man just smiled without saying anything, but I recognized him.

That it is a positive sign.

“… As expected.”

I nodded slowly.

At the same time, I felt that the man’s choice was reasonable.

Perhaps, if the man had not placed a ban, the ‘door’ would not have opened again and the man would not have entered this world again.

No, it would have been difficult for a group called a denomination to be established in the first place.

Even if a denomination was somehow created, it would have been difficult to grow its power.

The moment its purpose leaked out, all powers on the continent would have doggedly pursued the cult and its leader and completely destroyed it.

From that perspective, the choice of the man who placed a ban on the world was extremely appropriate.

So, most of the questions I had were resolved.

Even then, there were still questions that remained.

“… … .”

I slowly moved my gaze and looked at the leader.

Long ago, the man who destroyed the empire wanted revenge on the empire.

To seek revenge on the emperor who ruined everything for him and on the people of the empire who harmed his precious people, he sold his soul to the devil.

So why does the cult leader want to destroy humanity?

What kind of story does the cult leader have?

I was a little curious about that.

However.

“I hope it starts soon.”

The man did not allow any further questions.

The expression on his face was still smiling, but beyond that smile, I could feel his resolute will.

The man’s eyes were speaking. There is nothing more than this.

So, I took a deep breath and composed myself.

He quickly turned his head and looked at Veluid and Ethan and said.

“Please evacuate with other people.”

Escape from here.

“… … .”

“… … .”

They looked at me blankly for a while without saying anything.

“… I understand.”

Veluid nodded heavily.

“… Chet.”

Ethan looked like he didn’t like it, but nodded reluctantly.

It’s probably because he doesn’t know that he won’t be of any help if he stays here.

“… Is it okay if we don’t say hello?”

At that time, Veluid suddenly asked me a question.

“… … .”

At that question, I turned my gaze and looked at the companions inside Veluid’s defense shield.

Familiar faces looking at this place with questioning eyes.

With the male leads in the novel, including Alexis.

Rachel, Ira, and even Mary.

I stared at those eyes filled with a variety of emotions.

“… It’s okay.”

I shook my head slowly.

“… I understand.”

Veluid looked at me with complicated eyes, then slowly nodded and turned around.

“… I’m sorry. I left this heavy role only to you.”

In a heavy voice, he handed me an apple.

“We’ll talk about that later, when everything is over.”

I returned the somewhat sudden apology without even looking at him.

“… I understand.”

After hearing my answer, Veluid nodded heavily and immediately began to raise his magic power.

And soon, his and Ethan’s bodies began to float.

With the shield he created.

It seemed like he was planning to escape from here using flight magic.

Originally, it would have been impossible to escape this place using flight magic a little while ago, but it was quite possible now because the ‘door’ was completely opened and the boundary surrounding the crater disappeared.

So, I quietly looked at my companions who were slowly starting to rise.

“────!”

“──────!”

As if they understood what had happened, the party inside the shield was reacting urgently.

Someone was shouting something while looking in this direction, and someone else was even tapping the shield with their hands.

However, their cries and voices did not reach me.

This was because Veluid’s defense shield was completely blocking their voices.

I felt fortunate that their voices were not heard by the shield.

Hearing the voice wouldn’t have changed my mind, but it would have been a little distracting.

With that thought in mind, I quietly looked at my companions as they emerged.

Eventually, the speed of the emergency increased.

I realized that it was time to part ways.

It was then.

“Hey.”

A rough voice was heard.

When I looked in the direction the voice came from, I saw Ethan looking at me with sharp eyes.

“… Don’t die.”

Ethan said that with a rare serious expression.

Before I could reply to those words.

Hiss!

The group soared into the sky, moving away from me.

I stood still and watched the group becoming smaller.

How much time had passed in that state?

After a not very long time, the companions were completely out of sight.

“Did you say goodbye enough?”

A voice that now felt familiar was heard.

When I turned my gaze, I saw the man’s face still looking at me with a smile on his face.

Looking at that face, I slowly grabbed the sword.

“Then, let’s begin now.”

Finally, the fight began.