“Yes, if we retreat here, the name of the military god will cry.”

A tremendous force approached from behind me. Kali, with her left arm roughly bound with cloth, approached with a fierce momentum, holding a long spear.

“In that condition now…!”

“You stay put. I’ll take care of this and come back.”

Kali, standing close, gripped my shoulder. There was a cracking sound. Cracking? The sound heard in the moment before I could fully recognize it soon turned into pain.

“Ugh, what are you doing!”

“Ah, I couldn’t control my strength. Well, you can’t move in that state, right? So stay still.”

What nonsense is this!

A scream escaped.

If you go now, what can you do besides making the forest angrier! There’s no benefit in rushing into a fight you can’t win. So why!

Regardless, she sauntered forward, casually waving her hand.

“If you go now, you can’t do anything!”

“And you can do something if you go?”

“At least I can try… Wait. Can you hear me now?! How?”

“……”

She ignored me! What is this person thinking!

Hurrying after her, I saw a white girl crying, laying down two children.

−So you’ve come back after all.

The master of the gate spoke, shedding tears of ice.

−To defile my paradise, after all.

Along with the anger in that voice, white frost rose from the ground. Kali’s body, holding the spear, disappeared. It happened before I could even try to stop it.

The meeting of fire and ice, as always, created a pure white mist. The ice was more dominant than the fire, with constant cold traveling through the air, but Kali did not yield.

A singing voice was heard from somewhere. That voice was sorrowful.

“Hey! You won’t catch me at that level from earlier! Come at me properly!”

−Mere humans!

The continuous explosions drowned out the singing voice that sounded like tinnitus. I could only stand there, unable to do anything.

−Why.

−Why are you invading our paradise.

−Why.

Words echoing in my head. The voices that were once innocent and pure gradually became distorted.

The edge of the forest began to burn. Where the white girl’s eyes had been became black and empty, and from that place, something like black tears dripped down.

“No……”

I felt stifled. An indescribable emotion bound me.

−You humans are all the same.

−All disgusting and terrible.

−You burn our paradise and torment my children horribly.

The form of the white girl crumbled. What remained in that place was a pitch-black mass of malice.

−So.

The sky turned pitch black. The forest that had been full of clarity soon turned into a murky black light. Trees withered and twisted. The water in the lake became black with pollution.

“Is phase 2 starting now? That’s fast, indeed!”

−I will burn and freeze all uninvited guests, bringing about their end.

“Please stop it!”

I shouted without realizing.

At that moment, everything stopped. The forest turning black, the monsters losing their shape and becoming alien in appearance, those fighting.

Everything stopped and looked at me.

−……You are.

That gaze was so sad.

The edge of the black pollution began to turn white again. Right after, a vortex of flames rose before my eyes.

“I’m grateful if you let your guard down like this!”

−Ah……

At that moment.

A massive flash of light shone through the space that had turned pure white.

Bang−!

Beyond that, a blurry silhouette could be seen. Someone was walking out through the smoke.

“……There’s much I want to ask.”

With the appearance of the new figure, the black mass changed back into the form of a white person. It was no longer in the form of a girl, but in the form of a woman.

“Let’s postpone interrogating you, military god.”

Along with a chill that penetrated through the skin to the bone, sparks continuously crackled around Chun Shin Woo.

What could be seen beyond that was a cold face that anyone would consider to be extremely angry.

−You will regret setting foot in my paradise.

As Chun Shin Woo raised his hand, lightning struck it. Holding a weapon shaped like a mix of a gun and a sword made of lightning, he raised the weapon with an indifferent face.

“It seems that sorting out the situation takes priority for now.”

It was the protagonist’s entrance.

Lightning dancing in the sky ravaged everything around like a dance. Since when did I start hearing nothing but the voice of Nemue, the boss monster?

At this point, there’s one fact that I have to acknowledge whether I like it or not.

There’s some kind of connection between Chun Shin Woo and me. For reasons unknown, he’s trying to save me. Just like last time, by jumping directly into an S-rank gate.

−How dare, how dare mere humans……!

Chun Shin Woo, with an extremely cold expression, easily avoided the attack by just stepping back. The boss monster, with arms of frozen monsters, swung its arms threateningly, making thudding sounds.

“Whew, that’s quite a flashy phase transition.”

Bang, lightning struck towards Kali.

“Hey, you bastard! Why are you attacking me!”

“I’m barely holding back from wanting to kill you too right now, so shut up.”

The air that pierces the lungs is cold. I should surely feel relieved now, but why am I still in agony?

“……Huh?”

Tears flowed down my cheeks. No matter how much I wiped them, the tears wouldn’t stop.

“Why……”

I can’t, I can’t hear any sound.

The moment Nemue shed black tears, the entire forest sank into blackness. She had become a black mass of resentment.

The voices that had spoken to me countless times were no longer audible.

I took in the sight of the black forest.

Now they will become despair that only seeks destruction, befitting the name ‘monster’.

“Now’s not the time to worry about that! I’ll clear the surrounding mobs, so hurry up and deal with that thing!”

“I have no intention of following your orders.”

Could I dare to put into words the emotion I’m feeling right now?

It was then.

“This won’t do.”

It was when I felt a strange sense of discomfort.

“After preparing this stage for Shin Ah, if you all interfere.”

The surroundings were dyed in darkness. It was a pure jet-black darkness.

“The meaning of setting up this stage will be lost.”

The black-clad man who had suddenly appeared, …… the instigator of the gate sync, was embracing me from behind with his arms.

“……”

Chun Shin Woo, noticing the man’s appearance, stopped his merciless barrage of attacks. The monsters, who were being kept in check by Kali, froze as if frightened.

Kali, blackened in places, shouted while propping herself up with her spear.

“You, you. How are you here!”

“If only you had waited a little longer, what a shame.”

The man muttered to himself.

The arm wrapping around my shoulder gives me goosebumps.

“……Let go.”

“Shin Ah, what were you thinking while you were here?”

“I said let go!”

“You’re kind, so you probably tried to save everyone. Even if they’re ‘monsters’ in such despair.”

“Let go of this!”

It’s a mess. Everything is a mess.

Yes, as he said, I am sad. Despite them attacking people, I ended up sympathizing with those monsters. Just because we could communicate, I thought we might be able to understand each other.

I pitied those who had fallen into irredeemable despair.

“But no matter what you do, it won’t help. Because ‘they’ are monsters.”

The whispering voice was both affectionate and terrifying. Just as I was about to raise my voice, a flash of light glinted. My vision was covered in darkness.

“Ah, elder brother Shin Woo. Are you really doing this? Even though Shin Ah is here……”

“……”

Everything happened before I could even grasp the situation. Chun Shin Woo changed his target and flew like lightning towards me and the man, and I felt my body being lifted.

In an awkward posture, neither a back hug nor being carried like a package, I looked down at where I had just been. Chun Shin Woo, looking even angrier than when he first appeared, stood on the crackling ground.

“Elder brother, do you dislike me that much?”

Bang. Instead of answering, Chun Shin Woo struck down with a thunderbolt.

“Ah, not even letting me speak…… I don’t think he was originally like this. Elder brother, could the reason you’re trying to protect Shin Ah be……”

Crack.

“……I see, no need for conversation, is that it?”

The lightning striking right next to my cheek made my mind go blank. I don’t know what they’re both trying to do now. Please, can’t they do whatever it is without holding onto me? A scream escaped up to my throat.

With a gentle voice saying “Stay here,” Chun Shin Woo finally let me go.

“Yes, the fourth will. I’ll deal with you personally.”

“Is that all you’re going to use to face me?”

“It means this much is enough.”

Fierce words were exchanged. The aura emanating from them is suffocating. From over there, Kali rushed towards me.

“Hey, you! Didn’t you say you had no relationship with Chun Shin Woo!”

“Is that important right now…… Wait, Kali, behind you!”

While lightning and darkness were battling fiercely on one side, something huge and slimy swung its arm behind Kali. The boss monster, shedding black tears, seemed to have fully recovered in that short time and was demonstrating tremendous power.

“Oh no……”

“Military god, I’ll leave that side to you.”

“Elder brother, do you have time to worry about other things in this situation?”

It was chaos. Kali, suddenly left to deal with the boss monster, screamed.

“How am I supposed to…… You lunatic! Jeokcheon, the cold you’re emitting is putting me at a disadvantage! You take care of this!”

“How noisy. If you can’t even handle that much, how dare you call yourself a ranker, military god.”

“You bastard!”

Darkness and lightning, fire and ice, screams and mockery all mixed together. It was a battle I couldn’t follow with my eyes. My legs gave out. Through the booming sounds ringing in my head, I could see students lying as if asleep in the distance. I ran towards them, almost crawling.

Strong winds blew several times from the aftermath of the battle. My head is ringing. When I finally managed to approach, the children were half-submerged in the lake.

“……They’re alive.”

I could feel they were alive, albeit faintly. Even though their bodies were submerged in the black, unknown water, and a pitch-black energy had risen up to near their necks.

Still, they’re alive. They’re alive, not dead…….

It’s still okay. It’s not the worst case scenario yet. We can survive this place, and these children won’t die…….

“Ugh.”

Tears burst forth again. No, this wasn’t tears but a scream. The scream I couldn’t voice kept pouring out in the form of tears.

“Urk, sob.”

Why, why do I have to be here? Am I really here because of the sin of envying a truly kind friend?

−Ah, ahhhhhhh.

Just as I felt somewhat relieved for a moment, a massive ringing echoed in my head. Before I could even realize what was happening.

“……Shin Ah!”

Chun Shin Woo shouted something.

“……Huh?”

A shadow fell over my head.