Chapter 84

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The National Park, where the festival had been in full swing and laughter and tranquility had reigned just moments ago.

The clear, sunny weather. The gentle, warm breeze.

The cherry blossoms attracted a bustling crowd, filling the air with noise and excitement, yet the atmosphere was brimming with joy.

People laughed, chatted, snapped photos, and enjoyed snacks, relishing the fleeting traces of spring.

But in an instant, everything changed.

Order collapsed, and chaos descended.

The sky shattered like glass.

A rift opened, and an unwelcome visitor stepped through from beyond.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■─────!!!!

One by one, beings that did not belong to this world began to appear.

Monsters from another world.

The eternal enemies of humanity bared their hostility.

This was the worst-case scenario, one I had desperately tried to prevent. My attempts to divert Murmur’s attention weren’t just about indulging my desires. Though denying such feelings would be a lie, my primary intent had been a desperate struggle to stop the rift from forming.

But I had failed spectacularly.

Murmur had left me half-dead and casually opened the gate to another world.

It was inevitable, really. Even I hadn’t truly expected to succeed.

Knowing this, I made a quick decision. Turning to the others, I shouted:

“Eugene! Frey! Let’s move! Every second counts!”

From now on, it was a race against time.

The Rift of Time and Space had levels.

The lowest level was Level 1.

The larger the gate and the greater its intensity, the higher the level. Since Murmur had opened this one herself, it was at least a Level 5.

A Level 5 rift could allow hundreds of monsters to cross over.

But the real problem wasn’t the quantity of monsters—it was their quality.

High rank monsters were bound to appear.

In the worst-case scenario, a Named One might emerge.

High rank monsters were those of a higher grade than mid rank monsters, and among them, the exceptionally strong ones were classified as Named Ones.

These were monsters so powerful that humanity deemed them worthy of a name.

Unlike normal high rank monsters, which veteran heroes could handle as a team, Named Monsters were a different story. Only vice-captains or stronger individuals could even hope to confront them.

We had to move urgently.

Because high rank monsters and Named Ones were so massive, crossing the gate took time.

We had to evacuate people before they made it through.

No, even lower rank monsters were terrifying for civilians. High rank or Named Monsters were the least of their worries right now.

We had to act. Save the people first.

“We’ll split up. Moving together would be a disadvantage. Eugene, you can move quickly, right? Staying with us will only slow you down.”

“…Got it.”

The explanation was brief, but it was enough.

We were Academy students.

We’d been trained to anticipate and prepare for situations like this.

With his superior mobility and combat ability, Eugene would handle the monsters solo, while Frey and I moved together to both fight the monsters and evacuate civilians.

Although splitting up completely might have been more efficient, Frey and I lacked Eugene’s level of strength. There was a risk we’d be picked off individually. Considering our safety, this was the best plan.

“Be careful, both of you.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Eugene’s uniform was soaked in blood, his hands and sleeves damp—probably from helping  me reattach my lower body earlier. I nodded in gratitude, and Eugene gave a wry smile before shooting a glare at Astaroth.

The red fox mask girl still leaned lazily on her parasol, as if she had no intention of interfering.

She even gave us an encouraging fist bump as if to cheer us on.

I was relieved she was merely observing, but Eugene seemed far less accepting, glaring at her as though she was utterly repulsive. She was undeniably a dangerous figure, but the more immediate crisis was the rift. Confronting Astaroth now would only make things worse. Not to mention, we couldn’t win anyway.

Eugene enveloped himself in flames.

With crimson fire as propulsion, he leaped forward, kicking off the ground.

While it wasn’t as fast as Leo’s acceleration, it was a speed I couldn’t dream of matching.

“Frey, let’s go!”

“…You knew I was Frey?”

“You’re easy to recognize.”

“Hmph, I suppose so.”

Without looking back at Astaroth, I started running, Frey quickly following behind. Astaroth didn’t interfere, merely watching us from afar.

What was her motive?

I couldn’t fathom what Astaroth or Murmur aimed to achieve.

In the novel, devils simply relied on their overwhelming power to act impulsively.

If not for the penalty of their “active time” humanity would have been annihilated long ago.

They eventually met their downfall due to overconfidence.

Their excessive strength had made them careless.

But the devils in reality were different.

Why had Murmur simply left after opening the rift?

In the novel, she would have joined the monsters in a massacre.

If it was just because her active time had ended, there wasn’t much to say…

‘No, think about that later. Focus on the task at hand.’

Ugh, If I had known this would happen, I should have brought a weapon.

I brought a knife just in case, but it’s not enough… well, it’s better than nothing.

Frey came empty-handed. But that didn’t matter.

As for Eugene, the strongest weapon is always at his disposal.

At least when it comes to raw destructive power, He is now the strongest in Class A, right?

Eugene grew so rapidly that he took the title of strongest, but that didn’t mean Frey had become weaker.

Wiiiiiing─────!!!!

The sound of a siren echoed.

A high-decibel sound spread throughout the entire park, and beyond that, across the city.

It was an air raid warning.

The siren, which triggered unease, made our steps quicken.

Already, the strong scent of blood was in the air.

I wished it was just me mistaking the smell of my own blood, but this scent had been carried through the air.

…Well, let’s get started.

Though I’m not the kind of person who would be called good, I always make sure to fulfill the role assigned to me.

As a student of the Academy and a prospective hero.

I will save people.

◈

Endure.

You have to endure.

Suppress your emotions.

Don’t be swayed by anger.

Eugene ran.

Swallowing his impulses, he let the flames push him forward.

The dagger, burning red, represented Eugene’s heart.

My ability is dangerous.

The flames harm people too easily.

So, don’t let your emotions control you.

Always remain calm, shape the flames, and turn them into a sword.

“…”

The scenery around him changed quickly.

The cherry blossoms floating in the air couldn’t withstand the heat and turned black as they burned.

His heart was pounding violently.

It was so hot and numbing that he wanted to rip open his chest and pull it out immediately.

With bloodshot eyes, he looked ahead.

He saw monsters. Screams of people echoed.

People fleeing in fear.

Those unable to flee, suffering from ‘mental corruption.’

All of it stirred up the nightmares of his past.

“Hah… hah…”

Until just moments ago, everything had been peaceful.

Everyone was happy.

They were enjoying themselves, smiles on their faces.

So what is this now?

“He-heeek?! S-save me…!”

“Ugh, ughhh!!!”

“Mom! Mooooom!”

“Heroes?! Where’s the heroes?!”

The intense impulses were hard to control.

Rising anger. Passion. Rage.

Contempt for himself. Self-loathing. Sadness.

“No… please…”

The events from just moments ago flashed back in his mind.

Eugene looked down at his blood-soaked hands.

The sensation from that moment still lingered on his palms.

The feeling when he gripped the soft, squishy insides of someone’s body.

The hollow eyes that had lost their life.

The chilling moments were impossible to forget.

“Y… You can’t… go on….”

Losing her lower half, Lucia had crawled on the ground, blood flowing freely, her insides spilling out.

Even in such a state, she still tried to protect them.

The feelings of hatred and rage, about to explode, suddenly calmed as he recalled that moment.

It wasn’t that his emotions had cooled.

It was because a much greater emotion had swallowed up all of his impulses.

A praying mantis-like monster was attacking citizens with its sickle-shaped forelegs.

Eugene maintained his running speed, stomping on the mantis monster’s head and crushing it.

Simultaneously, he ignited flames to burn it to ashes.

In an instant, one monster turned to dust.

“Run!”

“H-huh?”

He said it quickly and ran again. His heart sank. There was no time to evacuate one person at a time. Doing so would mean sacrificing a hundred lives just to save one. Though the ‘mental corruption’ would be agonizing, the people had to escape on their own.

Eugene burned down every monster he saw as he crossed the park.

For now, they were all low-rank monsters, but their numbers were substantial.

The scale of the rift was considerable.

If it’s this large, maybe it’s a level 4? No, it could even be level 5.

A level 5 would mean multiple high rank monsters appearing—the worst possible scenario.

Eugene bit his lower lip.

In order to control his emotions, he bit it again, causing his already split lip to tear further.

There was no fear, but there was anxiety.

There was no fear in fighting the monsters.

But there was the fear of not being able to protect everyone.

“Lucia…”

Even after everything she went through, Lucia worried about others as soon as she stood up.

Not a trace of pain or suffering showed on her face.

It must have been hard. It must have hurt. How painful must it have been? Just imagining it made his heart ache. He trembled at his own helplessness.

But Lucia never showed even the smallest fragment of her pain.

If she had, both him and Alice would have certainly been heartbroken.

Lucia was a kind person.

A strong girl.

She had always been like that.

Even when she first faced Astaroth, and when she took the hit from the high rank monster for him.

Without a second thought, she sacrificed herself.

As if others were more important than herself.

He knew.

He knew, but…

‘I’m afraid.’

The way you sacrifice yourself.

And one day, won’t you fall into an irreversible situation?

Just like Yui.

Won’t you disappear while saving someone else? That thought scared me.

Will I have to just watch that again?

“No!”

Eugene ignited flames beneath his feet.

With a loud explosion, Eugene’s body shot into the air like a cannonball.

In the blink of an eye, Eugene soared several meters into the sky and raised his dagger high.

Scarlet Blade.

A sword infused with heat.

The Sun Sword was a more advanced form of this.

Eugene quickly scanned the ground below.

People were fleeing. A child was sitting helplessly. A young man had collapsed. Parents were searching for their children.

The park had turned into chaos. Monsters were scattered around. Their numbers were still growing.

A single slash with the Sun Sword was out of the question.

It would be a wide-spread annihilation.

If used here, it would sweep away not only the monsters but also the civilians.

“I…”

Flames surged along the blade.

Swirling and compressing, it became a red blade.

Not one.

Flames in the shape of swords appeared around Eugene.

Like wings. Or like satellites.

They radiated light and pierced the sky.

Eugene directed the rising flames into the Red Blade and aimed it at the ground.

“…I will protect you.”

Sun Sword: Meteor Shower

A rain of red blades fell.

Like meteors drawing across the night sky.

A shower of fire rained down, burning the monsters on the ground.

Lucia. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself. You don’t need to treat yourself so harshly.

I will protect you.

You, and the civilians.

I will protect everyone.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Lucia doesn’t want to be protected.

Though, she would die if Eugene stabbed her with the blade, but she doesn’t know that.

Of course, she doesn’t know.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Isn’t it funny how both Lucia and Eugene thought of at least bringing a knife? Heh.