Before long, Orario was plunged into chaos by the indiscriminate onslaught of the Evils.
"HELP ME!!!!!!"
Squelch—!
The fanatics carried out countless raids, while the majority of Orario's adventurers fought back to purge the Evils from the streets.
"Seriously, there's no end to them!"
Akumo was carving through the Evils who had invaded the town, the Green Fang gripped firmly in his hand. Dozens of them lunged at him simultaneously, seeking to exploit the short reach of his dagger.
"Swarm him all at once!!!!!"
Shred—!!!!
But their momentum was instantly nullified, severed by a blur of surgical slashes from Akumo.
"Crazy... he's a monster!"
"I don't think I want to hear that from a member of the Evils."
Slice—!!
After a relentless bout of execution, the raiding party of Evils was annihilated. Akumo flicked the blood off the Green Fang and made his way toward the Guild.
Creak—
"Akumo-san!"
"Ardee?"
Inside the Guild headquarters, Ardee Varma of the Ganesha Familia and Ryu Lion of the Astraea Familia had already arrived.
"You've arrived."
"Good work, Ryu."
"The quality of those Evils was too low for a large-scale raid. It was likely a diversionary tactic."
"I heard on the way here that Finn drove off 'The Murderer'."
As Akumo discussed the raid with them, they collectively weighed the urgency of eradicating the Evils. In the midst of their tactical exchange—
"Oh?"
A certain male deity approached, eyeing Akumo with an intrigued expression.
"And who might you be?"
"My name is Eren. I'm just a God who was recently helped by that Elf girl, Ryu, and a Human girl named Alise!"
"Ah... the one she mentioned before?"
Looking at the deity who identified himself as Eren, Akumo recalled the information he had gathered from Ryu.
'Right. She mentioned he was asking something about the nature of justice.'
"Akumo-san... we shall take our leave now."
"Ryu! Wait for me~"
Ryu, perhaps reminded of his troubling questions, wore a complex expression as she departed with Ardee. Watching them go, Eren let out a faint, amused chuckle.
"I wonder, what is your justice?"
'So this is the child Zard and Alfia spoke of... the Hero.'
"Those girls from before, Ryu and Ardee—they belong to Familias that protect their own brand of justice, don't they?"
"Ryu is exceptionally noble; the word 'righteous' suits her perfectly. And Ardee is incredibly kind."
'I truly wonder if that justice can be maintained even in the most extreme circumstances~'
Akumo, who had been listening silently, finally opened his mouth.
"Power."
"...What?"
"One cannot assume that everyone will walk the path of justice."
"...."
"For one's own safety, or for the sake of one's dreams, cold and ruthless decisions must often be made."
As Akumo spoke with calm authority, Eren's playful demeanor stiffened, and he fell silent, listening intently.
"Conversely, all those things can be what constitute justice."
"No matter what one desires, one needs power to achieve it."
"Ideals without power are nothing more than daydreams."
"Those who pioneer their own path become heroes, and only then can they begin to forge their own story."
Eren sank into thought for a moment before offering a rebuttal.
"Isn't that a bit too focused on mere strength?"
"It might sound that way, but...."
Images of that nightmare surfaced in Akumo's mind—the faces of his comrades and allies who were consumed by fear of the Black Dragon and suffered a wretched defeat.
"I believe all those who pursue strength in any direction are entitled to pioneer their own path."
'....This child.'
"Even if it means someone must be sacrificed?"
"One must prevent sacrifice as much as possible."
"Some would call that arrogance."
"As I said before, power is a means to pioneer the future. If you cannot use that means as intended, then what is the point of having it?"
Erebus, forgetting his disguise for a moment, offered serious counsel, but Akumo remained unyielding. Seeing Akumo embrace even his own wavering as a part of his justice, Erebus finally understood why Zard and Alfia called this boy a hero.
"No wonder... no wonder they were swayed so easily."
"...?"
"Ah! It's nothing~! I'll be going now, so keep up the good work, alright?"
"Yes... farewell."
Erebus left the Guild, concealing his complex internal thoughts with a hollow smile.
Step, step—
'Countering absolute evil... no... that is...'
"A justice that even embraces absolute evil."
'A will to pioneer that doesn't care for the distinction of good and evil... I truly want to test it!'
Erebus was intensely curious to see what kind of light Akumo would shine in the nightmare that was about to strike Orario. He no longer sought answers from anyone else. He was simply filled with a divine curiosity about what kind of future would be carved out and what kind of hero would emerge from this slaughter.
'So that is what a hero was...!'
"Ah~ I can't wait."
**
A few days later, the Guild headquarters—one of Orario's primary landmarks—was crowded. Familias had gathered for a regular emergency meeting.
Elite Level 1 adventurers were present: Finn and Riveria from the 『Loki Familia』; Ottar and Allen from the 『Freya Familia』; Alise and Kaguya from the 『Astraea Familia』; Shakti Varma and Ardee Varma from the 『Ganesha Familia』.
"We will begin the meeting regarding countermeasures for the Evils."
Starting with Finn, over a hundred adventurers shared their opinions as the meeting progressed.
—No, what I'm saying is—!!!
—If you had done that in the first place—!
However, a decisive solution to the current crisis failed to materialize. Instead, the exhausted Familias were on the verge of erupting into internal conflict due to the stress of the raids.
Thud—!
"Why don't we stop the bickering?"
The argument ceased instantly as Akumo entered the room.
"....The Pioneer."
"What is that in your hand?"
Following an adventurer's comment, all eyes turned to the object Akumo was carrying. He dropped it onto the floor.
THUMP—!!
"Weapons from the Evils who were hiding nearby."
"Whether you all fight or not, those bastards couldn't care less."
Creak—
Akumo pulled up a chair and sat down. With that, the meeting finally regained its composure and began to move forward constructively.
"....."
While sharing information and formulating strategies, news about certain "strong individuals" caused a flicker of agitation in Akumo.
"Akumo? Do you have an idea about something?"
"Hmm? No! I just realized how serious this situation is..."
'....No way.'
Managing to hide his expression from Finn, Akumo dwelled on the intel, recalling words he had heard from his former companions. Those words haunted him until the meeting's end.
—'We, whom you saved, might try to birth a Hero even if it means sacrificing someone else.'
As Akumo fell into deep thought, someone else in a different location was thinking of him.
"....Akumo."
'This is the path we have chosen. I have no right to complain even if you call us shameless.'
"I am a loser who lacks even the courage to go see that child."
Zard let out a sigh as he listened to Alfia's guilt-ridden mutterings. He simply waited for the day the nightmare would begin—three days from now.
**
Time passed.
—BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Neutralize everyone!!!!"
Crack—!
Crun-ch—!
Following the plan, the Astraea Familia raided an Evils' stronghold. It became a chaotic vortex as the Evils scrambled to defend it.
Within that chaos, Akumo—accompanying them as support—moved like a gale. He overwhelmed the cultists, surgically severing the limbs of the Evils' members in an instant.
Squelch—!
Whish—!
"Your only weapon is a single dagger, yet you're as impressive as ever."
"It's proceeding more smoothly than expected."
"Is it a trap after all?"
Shakti Varma of the Ganesha Familia, following alongside Akumo while dispatching enemies, calmly reviewed the plan. Kaguya of the Astraea Familia remained wary, noticing the lack of powerful combatants stationed here and wondering if this was another diversion.
"Even so, we continue the operation! The enemy is already half-broken!"
"The path is opening! This is the deepest part!"
BAM—!
As Alise and Ardee spoke, the door burst open. Standing there was [The Murderer] Valetta.
"[The Murderer]!"
"Tsk, you guys are too fast for your own good."
"Your words and your expression don't match."
BOOM—!!
Before Valetta could say another word, Akumo closed the distance at a blurring speed, swinging his dagger to slash her repeatedly.
—CLANG!!
"What are you aiming for?"
"Kh...! You're as aggressive as ever!"
A smirk still hung on Valetta's lips as she barely parried Akumo's strikes. Suddenly, hidden reinforcements appeared from the shadows to ambush them.
"An ambush!?"
"There are still this many of them!"
Responding calmly even to the ambush, the Astraea Familia dealt with the melee. Shakti supported Akumo as they pushed Valetta into a corner.
At that moment.
"WAAAAAAAH!!!!"
The cry of a young child echoed through the halls.