Prologue
The world was dyed crimson, and a yawning abyss spewed miasma into the broken sky. A flood of monsters and apostles crowded together thick enough to blot out the stars. It really did look as though the end of the world was at hand. But the mortal races that stood against the torrent of devastation remained undaunted.
“Uwooooooooooooh!”
“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Spirited battle cries rang across the battlefield, signaling the united resolve of Tortus’s residents. Not a single one of the warriors gathered was lost in despair. They had all chosen to fight their way through this to make the future they believed in a reality.
Seeing their burning spirits from high up in the sky, Kaori muttered, “Well, after what they just saw, they better be in high spirits.”
Though Kaori was still in the body of an apostle, Hajime had used metamorphosis magic to make her hair and wings a glossy black instead of silver. Her dress was mostly black as well, befitting her new station as Hajime’s apostle.
Shortly after the battle had begun, Hajime had used his Gravity Meteors’ Meteo Impact to obliterate the sacred mountain. He’d also used his seven Pulse Hyperions to cleave through the army of apostles.
Kaori grinned as she thought back to how effortlessly Hajime had made mincemeat out of the hoard of apostles. Then, spinning around, she looked at the sky above her and stared at the gate leading into Ehit’s sanctuary. It truly did look like a path into the abyss, but Hajime and her other comrades had dived headfirst into it to save Yue.
Kaori had absolute faith that Hajime, Shea, and Tio would succeed.
“Yue, there’s still so much I need to tell you. You better get back here quick, or I’ll have to drag you home myself.”
Kaori still had more losses than wins in their regular spats over Hajime, and she wouldn’t rest until she took the lead. But while she kept her tone light, she really did hope her feelings reached her one and only rival in love.
“Shizuku-chan, Ryutarou-kun, Suzu-chan...”
Her three other friends had gone to rescue Kouki Amanogawa, another one of her childhood friends, who’d been unwilling to accept reality and had let himself be brainwashed in order to escape it. And Suzu, in particular, had gone to save her best friend, the girl who’d betrayed everyone for her own desires—Eri Nakamura.
Despite all that Eri had done, Suzu couldn’t just abandon her best friend. She didn’t want to be the kind of person who gave up on the people she cared about. At the very least, Suzu wanted to speak to her one last time. Even if it was far too late, even if Suzu couldn’t save her best friend, she at least wanted to end things on her own terms. And honestly, Kaori fully understood how Suzu felt.
“I’ll protect this place for you while you’re all gone!”
Like Hajime, she was determined to crush every single one of Ehit’s schemes. She couldn’t let him have the last laugh. But even more important than that, in her eyes, she needed to safeguard the home everyone would be returning to. That was the mission Hajime had tasked her with.
The army of apostles looked down, then streaked toward the ground like a barrage of shooting stars. Kaori brandished her two new claymores and shouted, “You want to destroy humanity? Hmph, I’d like to see you try!”
Copying her beloved Hajime’s catchphrase, she flashed them a fearless grin.
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