Kaorí Shirasaki took a big leap, jumping over a giant tentacle that almost touched her, and began running toward several of her comrades who had completely collapsed.
Her rapid footsteps betrayed her fear, and some unintelligible words escaped from her mouth as she began to channel healing magic. "P-please," she murmured as she stopped and began to wield her staff with trembling fear.
She could feel it, something genuine and empty spreading across the battlefield outside Heiligh, filling her body with confusing emotions, emptiness, fear, a feeling of loneliness, and a fear of something dark.
Kaori Shirasaki shed tears as her healing magic activated and enveloped the dozen of her comrades who were lying on the ground. However, "N-No, it's not possible..." she murmurs.
"What the hell are you thinking?!!" Shizuku, the girl who had shouted earlier, swung her sword with unsteady fury, her eyes showing fear that was suppressed by her rage.
"Kouki!!!" Shizuku screamed at the top of her lungs, her body shaking, her hands trembling, as her goose-bumped skin was soon pierced by one of the giant tentacles.
"Arrrghh!" Suddenly, she screams in agony, her mind taken over by the MADNESS brought on by the giant tentacles. Shizuku, once her stomach was pierced without damaging her skin by one of the giant tentacles, lost.
Shizuku watched as the world before her faded away, as her mind was transported to a particular world, a red sky that gradually faded to yellow. There were no mountains, but instead a sea of corpses with horrible faces. And she was one of those corpses.
"C'thun!!! C'thun!!! C'thun!!!" Several screams came to Shizuku's mind, and as she watched the sky unable to move, she could only think of one thing: "What a shitty life, to be taken to a strange world only to die, and finally, have your soul captured and live here for eternity."
In her mind, she smiled.
In the real world, on the battlefield outside Heiligh.
The group of heroes summoned by Heiligh, to which Nagumo Hajime belonged, has been almost completely annihilated, their bodies scattered across the battlefield, while strange giant tentacles begin to absorb them.
The students, once Japanese and eager for the future, can only scream at the top of their lungs, their voices echoing with absolute despair as their souls are devoured.
And there, on the battlefield, the hero, acclaimed by the Church and by his own comrades, Kouki, bows his head, leans his sword against the ground for support, and kneels.
He has been completely defeated. Although he has destroyed some giant tentacles, their sheer number has simply overwhelmed him.
On the other hand, Kaori Shirasaki has collapsed, her mind has broken down, she hugs her legs and trembles constantly as she watches her comrades scream incessantly. Soon, a giant tentacle will come to take her away with C'thun.
It can be said that placing the hope of the Heiligh kingdom on the shoulders of modern Japanese people, without military training, without mental preparation, who come from a modern world where they are not prepared for a medieval life, was perhaps, just perhaps, not a good idea.
Kaori, trembling and barely conscious, raised her head slightly. In front of her, a giant tentacle was preparing to touch and pierce her skin. Her eyes widened, her mind began to work, her soul trembled, but she could not think of anything to get out of that situation.
She was, at the end of the day, an ordinary person with some healing magic, but that was all.
"Hajime Nagumo..." She murmured the name of the man she loved before closing her eyes in fear, wishing to touch her beloved's face one last time before hell.
However, her end did not come, time passed, and Kaori did not die, she did not scream, she was not taken to the world full of corpses. Instead, silence fell across the battlefield.
Kaori, curious and intrigued by this event, opened her eyes, her gaze soon marveling at the scene around her.
Hundreds of giant tentacles lay fallen on the ground, their bodies frozen.
"W-What happened?" Kaori stammered, raising her eyebrows in disbelief as her eyes widened, her body feeling a sudden chill from the frozen tentacles.
"Wow, looks like I didn't make it in time..." The voice of an old acquaintance echoed in Kaori's mind. Curious, she brushed her hair away from her face and looked to her right, and then she saw him.
Daisuke Hiyama, the former unpleasant classmate with a terrible attitude, now walks calmly across the battlefield. His previously unpleasant face has changed to a frightening one, and Daisuke's hair has grown long, covered by a black cloak, and he walks slightly hunched over, using a cane for support.
"Hmph..." Kaori makes a strange noise with her mouth, looks at Hiyama in disbelief, raises her hands to rub her eyes, and after confirming that she is not seeing things, a strange smile appears on her beautiful face.
"Hiyama..." she murmurs, her mind racing with thoughts, but one stands out above all others, "Was he the one who killed all the giant tentacles?" Kaori smiles.
But, Wasn't Hiyama just a weak person with a talent for throwing fireballs? Kaori narrowed her eyes, suspicious, but something inside her grew in an instant, an almost peculiar confidence, a confidence in Hiyama, confidence that he defeated these Tentacles
Then, without thinking, she sighed with relief, "Maybe I can ask later about what Hiyama did to defeat the Tentacles," Kaori murmurs softly, seemingly unaware that Hiyama arrived late and only she and Kouki were saved.
After all, her mind has been quickly overwhelmed by various events, and she still hasn't analyzed everything.
She, a girl who had just been saved from death, couldn't help but look at Hiyama with sudden appreciation, her eyes perhaps shining a little too brightly.
"Sir Hiyama, What are we doing here?" a girl behind Hiyama asked. She had white hair, two blue flames instead of eyes, black and white plate armor, and carried a strange sword.
Hiyama smiled, paused for a moment, turned around, and raised a hand to stroke the girl's hair. "Don't worry, we'll be back in Re-estize soon," the girl closed her eyes, feeling her lord's hand as she made a strange sound like a cat.
The girl is Enri Emmot. She became a Death Knight after being killed by Hiyama, and now, once reborn and transformed, she is completely loyal to Hiyama.
Kaori narrowed her eyes, feeling a slight discomfort wandering near her heart and rising up her chest. "Why are they being so affectionate in this situation?" she couldn't help but think with some displeasure.
Her eyes narrowed, her attitude becoming a little annoyed as she unconsciously began to stand up.
"Wow, it's surprising that after being indirectly exposed to MADNESS, you can stand up," Hiyama smiled after speaking, walking toward Kaori while observing his surroundings. "Kouki won't recover in a few days."
Hiyama stopped in front of Kaori, looked at her, his red eyes meeting hers. However, unlike the slight annoyance and affection that suddenly arose in Kaori, Hiyama feels nothing when looking at this woman.
"Hmph," Hiyama makes a slight noise with his mouth before swallowing some saliva, "You see, I've come here because I want to recruit you for my new Undead territory in Re-estize," Hiyama says, smiling.
Kaori opens her mouth and closes it a couple of times like a fish out of water. She looks at Hiyama standing there, something in his expression not very pleasant to her. The boy she once knew so well now feels... strange.
Kaori looked Hiyama up and down, her eyes lingering for a moment on his pale face. "Damn, Were you always so white?" she thought, then her eyes fixed on Hiyama's cane.
The skull on top, glowing with a faint green hue, makes her bones tremble, her body feel weak, and her mind overwhelmed by various unpleasant emotions.
"What exactly do you want?" Kaori murmurs, looking at Hiyama suspiciously.
"Ahem, you see, I have met God, he gave me the power I have now, and the one who just attacked Heiligh is The Forgotten One posing as C'thun," Hiyama says as he gestures to rub his beard.
"What?..." Kaori doesn't understand, spitting out a few meaningless words before looking at Hiyama again, the hidden intention in her eyes obvious.
A moment later, Kaori understands what Hiyama means after a brief explanation. She also seems to have analyzed what happened on the battlefield.
Her previous good humor is replaced with fear, hatred, and reproach toward Hiyama.
Kaori barely holds back her tears as she looks at the dying bodies of her comrades, all lying on the floor, and although they have stopped screaming, their faces are a vivid reflection of the pain they suffered in life.
"I can bring them back, you know, to life," Hiyama says, placing a hand on Kaori's shoulder. Those words resonate powerfully in her mind. She lifts her head, turns slightly, and looks at Hiyama's calm face.
"I have met God."
The boy's previous words echo in her mind, her heart skips a beat, and as this happens, her mind is filled with renewed hope, one that makes her smile after so long.
"But it's not that simple. If I'm not mistaken, their souls were taken inside the dungeon. The Forgotten One must have a prison for them," Hiyama murmurs, puzzled.