Honestly, Azlan didn't have a good impression of the middle-aged man in front of him. His arrogant attitude and condescending way of speaking were very unpleasant.
However, even so, he didn't rush to antagonize him.
"I'm Azlan. Just keep your gold necklace. Currency like paper money and gold are nothing more than paper and yellow stones in this world."
"Tsk. Cold kid. Doesn't show respect to elders at all."
Tomaru clicked his tongue, disliking Azlan's indifferent response which he found annoying.
"Respect is earned, not given." Azlan replied calmly. "You said you're hungry. Eat this."
Taking the 4D Pocket from behind his jacket pocket, he searched inside, then threw a packaged sausage to Tomaru.
Tomaru caught it with a frown. "Just a sausage? Kid, isn't there any other more decent food? If there is, give me a cold beer!"
He didn't question at all how Azlan could pull out a sausage from a pocket that seemed small, too busy complaining about his food choice.
Hearing that, Azlan furrowed his brow. Without saying a word, he turned around and started walking away.
"If you don't want to eat it, fine. Just throw it away."
"So annoying."
Although grumbling, Tomaru didn't throw away the sausage. Instead, he opened the wrapper and began eating it while chasing Azlan.
"Hey, kid, you haven't said where we are. I was on my way to Snow Radish, suddenly I was already here."
From behind his glasses, Tomaru observed Azlan's reaction when mentioning "Snow Radish". When he saw no change in expression on the youth's face, his lips curved into a thin smile.
(Good. This brat has never heard about Snow Radish. That means he doesn't know my bad reputation.)
Without realizing Tomaru's thoughts, Azlan repeated the explanation he had given to Akane.
"This world isn't your original world. We all—me, you, and others—are stranded here from different worlds."
"Hah? Another world? Seriously?! Do I look like a fool who would believe nonsense like that?"
Tomaru stared at him with a condescending look, as if looking at someone insane.
(Ah, humans... When faced with possibilities beyond their understanding, their first instinct is denial.)
(This is actually a normal reaction. It's Akane's reaction of immediately accepting the explanation beyond common sense that was unusual.)
Thinking that, Azlan could only shrug helplessly.
"If you don't believe it, I can't do anything... You've already seen everything that needs to be seen. Do you think the zombies and Titans outside are fake? Please try it yourself if you don't believe it."
He pointed toward the mall entrance, where shadows of several Titans could be seen moving. That challenge made Tomaru slightly hesitant, but his arrogance wouldn't admit that this world had truly changed.
The two of them continued walking through the dark mall floors, until finally arriving on the third floor, where Azlan had entered. Outside, dozens of Titans stared inside. Their terrifying faces were clearly visible.
"Hiii...!!!"
This scene was more frightening than any horror movie. Tomaru stepped back several steps with trembling legs, his glasses almost falling off. He no longer cared about money or cold beer; all he wanted was safety.
Glancing at Tomaru's cowardice, Azlan didn't judge him. He realized that he himself, being unfazed when facing zombies on first encounter, was the abnormal one. After all, his experiences and the environment he grew up in forged his mind and determination beyond ordinary people who lived in safe zones.
"Divine Dividing."
Uttering the name of his Sacred Gear, a pair of charming blue light wings manifested from Azlan's back, emitting a faint glow in the gloomy room.
Tomaru gasped, his eyes widening. "W-What...?"
Before he could deny it, considering Azlan just a fantasizing young man. But now, with real proof before his eyes, all those denials shattered.
Under Tomaru's stunned gaze, Azlan charged toward the window.
*WHOOSH!*
With a single elegant flap of wings, he shot out through the broken window. In the air, his hands were enveloped in bluish-white energy that formed a kind of scythe.
*PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!*
He moved with deadly speed and precision. Each time he passed a Titan, his scythe swept their napes with clean movements. The giant bodies one by one collapsed, beginning to evaporate before touching the ground.
"Good grief... What the hell is this?!" Tomaru muttered, not believing what he was seeing. "Damn, it hurts! This isn't a dream!"
He pinched his own thigh until it hurt, proving this wasn't a dream. The youth he had looked down upon actually had super powers! And more impressively, he easily slaughtered the creatures Tomaru thought were invincible!
In less than two minutes, all the Titans around that area had been successfully cleared. Azlan hovered in the air facing the stunned Tomaru.
"Now do you still not believe it?"
"I believe! I believe!"
Tomaru could only shake his head, his face pale. All his arrogance and haughtiness had disappeared, replaced by fear and envy.
Seeing him mercilessly finish off the Titans, Tomaru immediately ran toward the youth, holding his arm desperately once Azlan entered back into the mall.
"Oh, very mighty young man! You're amazing! Truly, I've never seen abilities like this! You must be a God sent to save a poor man like me!" Tomaru praised excessively.
"Please, kid, don't leave me in this cursed place! I'm just an ordinary man, I'm worried I won't survive long alone here. Only evil people would leave someone in need!"
Tomaru then lowered his voice, trying to use heavier rhetoric.
"Kid, have you ever heard the saying: 'With great power, comes great responsibility'? You have the power to protect, that means you're responsible for protecting the weak like me!"
Azlan stared at him with a cold assessing gaze, observing every expression of the man. Although he hated the man's use of moral blackmail, he felt obligated to at least ensure the safety of an ordinary human. In the end, he was still too kind.
"Alright. Before finding a safe place for you, it's fine to let you stay temporarily at my place. But remember—there's a girl living with me. I hope you don't try something stupid."
"Ah, thank you so much! You're really a good person!" Tomaru praised excessively, but his eyes hidden behind black glasses glinted with evil intent.
(A girl? This could be a good opportunity.) He thought inwardly.
What Azlan didn't know was that the man before him was a monster in human form.
Sawagoe Tomaru had impregnated 16 women—7 of them were his own daughters, 2 were his half-sisters and even his own mother!
Deliberately he destroyed bloodlines and family relationships, creating unimaginable genetic and social chaos.
From his horrifying incestuous relationships, he had 42 children. Even with one of his own daughters, Inou Kagura, he had 16 children. As a billionaire, he used his wealth and influence to cover up his horrifying crimes without ever facing consequences.
His depravity didn't stop there. Tomaru had forced his daughter Kagura and other women he impregnated to work as prostitutes at a place called Snow Radish—a place he owned—just to cover their living expenses.
Tomaru represented an extreme level of evil and perversion, even beyond common taboos. His actions violated every existing social taboo, showing he had no moral responsibility or sense of shame whatsoever.
In short, the man named Sawagoe Tomaru was a bastard who even made devils feel inferior. It wasn't an exaggeration to call him evil incarnate.
"We're leaving now."
Without realizing he was bringing home a wolf in sheep's clothing, Azlan used Touki and formed a large, transparent energy hand around Tomaru, gripping the man's body in the air.
Clearly, he didn't want to carry this middle-aged man.
That was disgusting.
Call it bias or double standards. Disgusting is disgusting.
The energy hand lifted Tomaru several meters above the ground. Azlan then activated Divine Dividing and prepared to fly.
"Hey! What the hell is this?! You think I'm a suitcase?!" Tomaru screamed in panic inside the energy hand's grip, which gripped him tightly around the chest and waist, making him feel like a fish trapped in an invisible net.
"You have to be more careful! I have lots of money, you know! If I fall, you have to be responsible! Don't fly too fast, I'll have a heart attack!"
"Don't worry. I won't drop you."
Azlan answered in a flat voice, unaffected by the other party's panic.
*SWOOSH!*
With a single flap of his blue-glowing Divine Dividing wings, they shot into the air. Tomaru screamed in fear as he watched the ground getting farther away, his hands trying to grab something he couldn't reach.
"Good grief! Slow down! I'm afraid of heights!"
Azlan ignored his hysterical chatter, shooting into the air toward his new base in Shinjuku. Tomaru could only close his eyes tightly, hanging helplessly in the energy grip, continuing to complain throughout the journey.
(This person is so noisy.)
In his heart, Azlan began questioning his decision to bring this 40-year-old man home. But it was too late to turn back now. He only hoped Akane wouldn't mind too much about the presence of this uninvited guest.
Meanwhile, behind his tightly closed eyelids, Tomaru kept a thin smile. Although afraid of heights, his mind was already imagining new possibilities.
A young girl living with this strong youth? This could be a golden opportunity. He had already started planning ways to manipulate this situation to his advantage.