Arifureta After III Brutal Hero Shia Arc Police Officer, It’s This Guy Desuu!
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「This is really one flashy welcome.」
An amused chuckle resounded.
Eric, Arogan, Gruelle, te three kings along with Louis and others, the elite forces accompanying each king were taken aback.
Floating in the sky, the stronghold of the celestial people, the giant floating island’s majestic appearance went without saying. Then there was the great swarm of spirit beasts covering the land and sky, and the figures of multiple divine spirits.
Strong pressure and killing intent that were shaking the atmosphere were welcoming them. Coupled with the cloudy sky, it was like the end of the world.
Because it was clear that all they were rejected as visitors, they as the people living in this world couldn’t help but held their breath. Their throat was dry, their heart shrunk, their waist lost strength, and their spirit was on the verge of breaking.
That was how much the welcome committee was displaying their rage, and they were ready to fight to the death, it wouldn’t be out of place at all to describe them as suicidal soldiers.
「Or rather, the teleport destination, it got slightly shifted……this star tree is something, not bad.」
Hajime who grumbled that looked around and smiled wryly.
The place they teleported to seemed to be the edge of the star tree’s solitary island――above a cliff. They planned to teleport directly to the star tree’s location, but apparently the space was interfered with and they ended up on the island’s edge.
In the end, was it the star tree that was absurd with how it obstructed the Crystal Key’s teleportation ability, or was it the Crystal Key that was absurd with how it overcame the obstruction of a god of a world and teleported the user through even if it was only to the edge of the stronghold?
In any case, looking at the present situation objectively, they were now truly people who were cornered to the edge of a precipitous cliff but……
「Looks like they’re really in high spirits, did something happen?」
The tension of Eric and others completely didn’t matter. Everyone’s expression turned really complicated at the joke Hajime cracked. It couldn’t be helped, so Shia poked at Hajime’s cheek and said.
「Hajime-san, are you waiting for tsukkomi to that? No matter how you look at it, this is caused by Hajime-san’s meteor party.」
It’s exactly like Shia said. Obviously the other side would be angry & scared because of that. After all this person tossed a meteor to their sacred ground.
The island originally should be lushly green had black smoke rising from here and there. A part of the verdant mountain was collapsing. It was already like that just from the visible range. There was no doubt that the center of the island, the surroundings of the star tree was even more tragic than this.
Then, at that timing the explosive sound of a waterfall suddenly resounded behind Hajime and others.
Hajime and others went ‘Oh?’ and turned around. There, they saw a giant silhouette that was dropping sea water like a waterfall――a figure of a monster lifting its long neck. Its length might reach 300 meters. Considering the height of the cliff that was around 100 meters, its whole length might be in the unit of kilometers.
「Di, divine spirit of ocean current-, Meeres――」
When Eric yelled, that monster――with a figure like a giant dragon enveloped with water current that looked like tentacles and accompanied with water tornados behind it, the divine spirit of ocean current “Meeres” opened their mouth at the same time.
What was fired right after that was a breath attack without any preceding conversation. The furious water current that would swallow and pressured everything to death with its mass attacked Hajime and co.
Due to the breath attack that was fired from right above their head, the figures of Hajime and co vanished inside the water current. The surrounding was blown away, and the cliff cracked from being unable to endure the pressure.
In front of such destruction that wholly broke a part of the cliff,
「Close your mouth a bit.」
A crimson spark surged. Right after that, in the next instant, like a rising dragon climbing a waterfall, the crimson light split the water current breath into two right from the front.
『――!!?』
A voiceless scream and surprise.
The crimson flash blown away the upper jaw of Meeres without stopping and also blew open a circle shape on a part of the cloudy sky before vanishing to the faraway sky.
While the water splash of the water current breath that was burst open scattered around, what appeared was the unharmed figures of Eric and others along with Hajime who was grinning fearlessly. And then, the Cross Velts that were deploying barrier and the long weapon that was still emitting spark――Schlagen AA.
「Somehow it reminds me of Tio-san isn’t it~」
「That’s another nostalgic story huh.」
Hajime made a light talk with Shia while placing Schlagen on his shoulder. Seeing that, Eric and others instantly resolved themselves and returned to their senses.
「Hajime-dono! Shia-dono! What did you do!?」
The eyes of Meeres who was already finished regenerating distorted in rage. Eric watched that while asking Hajime with an expression twisted in anxiety.
「No need to ask, the plan stay the same. I’ll open the path. Just go to your star tree mom and quickly say sorry.」
「O, open the path you say……no, before that by mom you mean……」
‘Such absurdness……or rather, what did you call the star tree……’, not just Eric, Arogan and others also thought that. They did their best to ignore the way Hajime called the star tree while turning their gaze toward the front, at the center of the island.
Countless roars were raised. The roars that made the atmosphere shook belonged to tens of thousands of divine beasts. As expected from this place that should be called their sacred ground. It looked like their level was different from the spirit beasts sent to the demon kingdom.
Dragon that normally should be dealt by dispatching an army formed a flock here like mere rank and file. Huge wolfs and lions that would send people into despair if they encountered even one of them were running rampant, large bugs with extremely atrocious appearance that gave the impression like a master of a forest was covering the ground like they were tiny ants.
In addition, white mist was gushing out from the floating island. Which was an optical illusion from the army of the celestial people flying out. Their number was also in the unit of tens of thousands.
The condition was different from before.
Destructive attack like meteor impact or sunlight convergence laser that would also destroy the island would be putting the cart before the horse. If Hajime wasn’t careful to not destroy the spirit stone that was the core of spirit beast, to not kill the celestial people, and to not exterminate the divine spirits, then trying to persuade the star tree would be something impossible.
Doing something like opening the path under that condition, was very very……
「It will be dinner soon considering the time difference. There is no way I can let my hungry daughter to wait. Oi, charge forward quickly.」
In front of the recoiling Eric and co, Hajime inserted the Crystal Key into space and twisted. A shining gate was deployed. The gate that was its pair could be seen at afar. It was at the other side of the great swarm that was standing in their way like a wall, barely right above the forest.
Even though it was impossible to open the gate at the center of the island, it seemed that it was possible to teleport only barely if it was within sight.
「Yes yes, everyone! This isn’t the time to look dumbfounded! Hajime-san is taking charge, so we’ll rush forward full of spirit!」
「Wha-. You’re going to make Hajime-dono alone facing off that large crowd!?」
Eric yelled in doubt of Shia’s sanity. It seemed he never thought that Hajime would remain here by himself. He believed that they would forcefully breakthrough together.
Hajime leisurely sent bullet to Meeres that was going to fire another breath, in addition he met the charging spirit beasts, celestial people, and divine spirits with a swarm of Cross Velt & Grim Reaper while shrugging.
「In a sense, it wasn’t bad that the coordinate got shifted. Rather than continuously pushing back the large swarm attacking from behind while you guys are apologizing to the star tree mom, having me holding them back at a distant place is easier.」
In other words, it wouldn’t be Hajime holding back the spirit beasts and others, but it was the spirit beasts and others that would be holding back the advance of Hajime so that he wouldn’t get near to the star tree seeing that they should be considering him as the most dangerous existence here.
「Don’t tell me, Hajime-dono, you will……」
「He won’t kill them, he won’t. Hajime-san, doesn’t lie.」
‘Damn suspicious……’, everyone thought. Although, they had no ground to raise objection. Because they entrusted the possibility of carrying out this salvation plan to Hajime and Shia, then they could only follow what they said. They could only aim toward the star tree straight ahead.
「……Forgive us. Hajime-dono. Someday we will pay back this debt without fail to you and also Shia-dono.」
「Yeah, be really grateful. More specifically show your gratitude with goods. If it’s a gloomy thanks I’ll kill you.」
「Hajime-san, Hajime-san, you are forgetting to act as exemplary Japanese person. The modest heart desu! Or rather, isn’t this for my sake in the first place?」
Of course, it was for Shia. Hajime was here because Shia wished for it. But, that was that, this was this. If he didn’t get paid with the compensation that was equal with his labor, than even the god of labor would surely get enraged. It was only this time that Hajime was a pious believer of the god of labor.
「In deference to Shia, I’ll let you go with only all you have and your country’s treasury.」
「……I think, that’s demonic enough already though.」
Arogan mumbled in a low voice. Gruelle nodded to that. Perhaps because they had experienced the hell of life and death together, it felt like they became slightly cordial with each other.
「Enough, just go quickly.」
「Go, got it. Please take care of the rest.」
Saying that, Eric and others changed their expression into one of resolve and lined up in front of the gate.
Shia jumped at Hajime and lightly kissed him.
「Then I’m going, Hajime-san.」
「Ou, be careful. Don’t bring a result that will make me snap okay?」
「That’s right isn’t it~. I have to protect the world from Hajime-san.」
The two cracked jokes at each other like that before Shia twirled around.
「Everyone, have you resolved yourself?」
This was the fork road toward the future. The turning point. The shining gate was the entrance to that.