Ch.375The Hidden World Apocalypse (2)

After leaving the area in the care of everyone at the dojo, we headed straight to our next destination.

We were worried about Eri’s house. It was around the time she would have just returned from kindergarten. It would be disastrous if monsters attacked during that time.

“M-my dad and mom are there too.”

Eri seemed worried about that as well.

“Right. Let’s go greet them and save them while we’re at it.”

I headed straight to our destination with my sword in hand.

As expected, the detached house was good prey for the monsters.

“Kyaa!!”

“W-what is this?!”

A middle-aged man was trying his best to fend off the monsters with a broom. Next to him was an elegant woman with tanned, bronze skin. She appeared to be Eri’s mother. She was so beautiful she could have passed for her older sister rather than her mother.

“Big brother!!!”

At that moment, Eri’s three sisters spotted me. They all looked relieved to see that I was alive.

“I’m coming!!!”

I immediately rushed toward the garden of the house with my sword in hand.

“Keruruk!!”

“Gegegegek!!”

Level 50 monsters charged toward me.

Swoosh-! Slash-!!

With one horizontal slash followed by a vertical one, the monsters all collapsed, spewing blood. I could take down level 50 enemies with a single strike.

“Is everyone safe?”

I immediately checked on everyone’s safety.

“Ah. We’re fine. Thank you….”

Eri’s father began to express his gratitude to me but then looked behind me at Eri.

“Eri!!”

Eri’s mother seemed relieved that Eri was safe.

“I’m Arigiri Shota, officially dating Eri with marriage in mind. I’m sure there’s a lot to discuss… but for now, let’s get to a safe place.”

I calmly stated my business.

“Ah… the one Eri mentioned…”

Eri’s mother stared at me intently.

“He’s also our future groom!!”

At that moment, all three of Eri’s sisters spoke up in energetic tones.

“I’ve got dibs on him!”

Konoha, the bold one among Eri’s sisters, immediately clung to my leg as if claiming me.

“Our daughters….”

Suddenly, my father-in-law’s expression hardened. He was clearly a civilian with no connection to fighting… yet why was there such a murderous aura around him?

“L-let’s talk about this later.”

I intervened before my father-in-law could continue.

“Y-yes, dear. We’ll have things to deal with after this situation is resolved.”

Eri’s mother immediately set the priorities straight.

——–

While rescuing the most important VIPs, I also found Madoka and everyone from Kunami Company.

“Everyone! Please receive relief supplies in an orderly manner!”

Madoka shouted loudly from a platform. It seemed she was distributing necessities using the conglomerate’s private funds.

“Madoka!! Well done!!!”

I immediately ran toward Madoka. Is this what they call noblesse oblige?

“I thought big brother would like it if I did this.”

Madoka said with an expectant expression. Hmm… so that was her motivation.

“Yes. I’m so proud of you!!”

I immediately hugged Madoka and spun her around in the air.

“Kyaa!!”

Madoka burst into giggles.

After spinning her once, I gave her bottom a few gentle pats as a bonus.

“Madoka!! Take the evacuees to the dojo first! It’s safe there!”

I shouted loudly.

“Yes! Got it! Everyone!! Follow me!”

Madoka skillfully began leading the panicked people. Despite being a child, she was already overflowing with leadership.

“Big brother!! Sasitsu big brother, Thumbs-up Man big brother, and Frill sister are looking for you!!”

Madoka immediately reported the situation.

“Are they doing well?”

I asked.

“Yes! They’re rescuing evacuees!”

Madoka said. Right. They were doing their best in their own way.

——–

We decided to protect the civilians at the dojo.

“Eri, Mika, Aki, Miss Aiko. Even if I tell you to stay here safely… you won’t listen, will you?”

I said, looking around at my non-combat harem members.

“Honestly… I want to go with you… but we’d just be a burden.”

Eri gave a bitter smile.

“A wife’s duty is… to wait for her husband to return safely, isn’t it?”

Miss Aiko said.

“I’ll wait.”

Mika said curtly.

“You’ll come back anyway, right?”

Aki also seemed to have firm faith in me.

“Yeah. I’ll come back with Pink Beard’s head.”

I said.

“Let’s go!!!! We’re going to reclaim our daily lives!!”

I immediately shouted toward the combat members.

“Ohhhhh!!!!”

Everyone cheered in unison.

———

The place Pink Beard had occupied was the Emoshita City Hall building.

In front of it were Sasitsu, Thumbs-up Man, and Frill.

“So you came after all, Shota.”

Seeing me, Sasitsu finally seemed relieved. Despite everything, Sasitsu was the one who trusted and relied on me.

“Frill! Doesn’t Pink Beard still lack the power to open gates on a large scale?”

I asked Frill about that point.

“Normally, yes. But… Pink Beard sacrificed part of his life force to forcibly open the gates.”

Frill said.

“He must be pretty pissed off.”

The original plan was to open the gates after all preparations were complete to infiltrate Emoshita. But now Pink Beard had forcibly opened the gates by giving up part of his power.

‘Honestly, that’s good news for us.’

Thanks to sacrificing part of his power, Pink Beard’s original specs would be lower than before.

“Because of that, the mobs aren’t high level either. At most, they’re in their 50s. Probably because the amount of information that can be sent through the gates is limited.”

Frill said, looking at the mobs lurking around the city hall.

“I see.”

The mobs in the final chapter weren’t usually this weak.

“Alright. Let’s kill Pink Beard in the city hall. And put an end to all of this.”

The task hadn’t changed. I took a deep breath and raised my sword high.

“We’re going to save this world.”

In truth… it wasn’t about the world. It was about protecting our daily lives where we could live with smiles.

“Yeah. Let’s do this.”

Sasitsu also seemed to regain his composure at those words.

“Kieeeeeeeeeeek!!!!”

To shake off the tension, I immediately screamed and charged toward the enemy lines.

Sasitsu, who was watching with a smirk, soon drew his sword and began charging with me.

“Kieeeeeeeeek!!”

Sasitsu also endured the embarrassment and charged with me. In that moment, Sasitsu and I became best friends. Our souls resonated.

“Kieeeeeeeeek!!!!”

All our other comrades also matched our spirit, screaming as they charged forward.

———

Swoosh-!! Slash-!! Clang-!!

The mobs tried to block our way, but the enemies were no match for us at all. They were just swept away one-sidedly.

“Over there!! The top floor of the city hall!!”

Having been quite moved by the game’s ending, I knew well where the final chapter would take place. The rooftop of the top floor was where the boss battle would be held.

One-sidedly cutting down enemies, we headed for the top floor of the city hall building.

On the rooftop of the city hall, Pink Beard sat on a throne in the center.

“So you’ve come. Hero Sasitsu… and his merry companions.”

Pink Beard glared at us as he spoke.

“Honestly, you’re the first ones to push me this far. The first ones to screw me over like this.”

Pink Beard rose from his seat.

“But… the joke went too far. You damn bastards.”

Pink Beard immediately raised his hand high.

Flash-!!!

A psycho-robo materialized behind Pink Beard.

Woooong-!!

Eight planets appeared behind Pink Beard. These were the eight planets Pink Beard had absorbed with his power.

“I’ll kill you with my own hands. And then I’ll devour Earth.”

Pink Beard started to walk toward us.

“Right. I get that you’re a fucking idiot.”

At this opportunity, I wanted to say everything I wanted to say to this final boss bastard.

“Fucking… what?”

Veins immediately popped up on Pink Beard’s forehead.

“A fucking idiot. That’s you.”

Before the fight, there was the tactic of making him lose his composure, but I also wanted to curse at this guy before killing him. Once he’s dead, I can’t curse at him anymore.

“You’ve probably caused trouble for many people because of your childish goal of becoming the strongest by eating planets. But your temperament is terrible. That’s why there was probably no one to admonish or scold you. Because they were afraid of being hit by you. As a result, you grew up without manners. You’ve become a nuisance on a cosmic scale.”

“Oh yeah!!! Keep talking!!! You little shit!!”

Pink Beard seemed pissed off at those words.

Kwaaang-!!

Pink Beard immediately thrust his head forward as if to headbutt me. I didn’t back down and pushed my head toward Pink Beard.

“Since no one could scold you, I’ll take this opportunity to scold you with a father’s heart. You’re a fucking idiot. An idiot who only kicks own goals despite having that power. What have you accomplished so far? You’ve only failed continuously. Damn it. My grandmother could conquer the universe better than you.”

I said.

“A fucking idiot?!! Fine!! Say it one more time!! You little shit!!!!”

Pink Beard seemed angry to the tips of his hair.

“I said you’re a fucking idiot!! Clean your ears and listen!! You fucking idiot!!!!”

I shouted loudly.

“I’ll make you die as painfully as possible!!! I’ll break you down to the cellular level and turn you into cosmic dust!!!!”

Angry to the core, Pink Beard immediately took a combat stance.

Woooooong-!!

The planets floating behind him were all absorbed into Pink Beard’s body.

Clang-!!!

Then, the stars around the planets took the form of a sword and settled in Pink Beard’s left hand.

“Pointy head!!!!!!! I’ll kill you last!! I’ll personally kill your comrades before your eyes!!!!!!!”

Pink Beard swung his sword widely.

Kwaaaaaaang-!!!!

I immediately drew the Pinocchio Sword to block the slash. It was a strike that could break a sword just by blocking it, but the Pinocchio Sword had infinite durability. There was no better weapon for defense.

“Everyone prepare for battle!!!!!!!!”

After blocking the slash, I immediately shouted loudly.

And so the battle began.