Archbishop Sophia: “!?… Where?!”

Sophia, who lost sight of Kai, looked around. Kai had stepped on Sophia’s shadow during their previous confrontation.

And then triggered his own technique that also troubled him, 『Lightning』. Kai suddenly disappeared right before her eyes, he wasn’t just fast, he moved too quickly for her to follow with her eyes.

Kai: “I’m reluctant to hurt a woman… but I can’t afford to be gentle anymore.”

The enemy was the deranged group, the God-Destruction Cult. There was no room to hold back, but, if possible, he wanted to just take away their ability to fight.

Kai teleported behind Sophia.

Archbishop Sophia: “Damn-!?”

Sophia noticed, but it was already too late. A full-force chop from behind struck Sophia’s neck, a blow from Kai aimed to knock her out. Kai remembered Kagetora’s words from that day, thinking he had to kill.

But Kai made a choice.

A choice only the strong can make.

Archbishop Sophia: “Guha!?”

Sophia staggered from the impact. However, she managed to maintain her consciousness somehow and retaliated with a kick.

Kai: “… As I thought, you don’t have any combat experience, do you? You’re a complete amateur…”

But her kick was stopped at its inception, fully nullifying its power. It’s not that Kai is a master, but he has accumulated enough experience from numerous battles. From his perspective, Sophia’s attack was poorly executed.

Her combat movements were those of an amateur woman.

Of course, she’s S-Rank. Her attack could destroy reinforced concrete. However, the way one uses their body can change the power of their strikes, and she didn’t seem to think such a wide swing would land.

Kai: (Besides that, as expected…)

Kai’s eyes shone as he checked her status.

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

 

Name: Sophia Ginno

Status: Fanatic

Occupation: Seal User【Advanced】

Skill: Sealing Arts (Magic power +489,706)

Magic Power: 23,050

Attack Power: Reflection rate ▶25%=128,189

Defense Power: Reflection rate ▶25%=128,189

Agility: Reflection rate ▶25%=128,189

Intelligence: Reflection rate ▶25%=128,189

Equipment

・Black King Wolf Fur Dress=Defense Power +20,000

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

 

Kai: “Your sealing arts… They stole Reina’s magic power, didn’t they?”

Kai understood by looking at the status. It was this woman who had cast the seal on Reina. And putting it together with the words of the chairman’s, her name was Ginno.

As he thought, it was her.

Archbishop Sophia: “So, if you know that… you must have some special power, don’t you? Is your ability to disappear part of that power?”

Kai: “Who knows? Rather, you’re Reina’s mother, right? Why are you doing this to your own daughter?”

Archbishop Sophia: “Because she’s my daughter, my beloved one.”

Kai: “I can’t understand that. Your actions and words are too far apart.”

Archbishop Sophia: “I don’t care if you understand or not!! Not from a child who doesn’t even know what real love is!!”

Sophia, with her captured foot, forcibly shakes off and once again charges at Kai. Kai understood from Phu’s time that it’s hard to persuade these people with words. Moreover, they are in combat now, so he muttered as if giving up.

Kai: “─Lightning.”

Archbishop Sophia: “!? Again!?”

Sophia swung her arm. However, Kai disappeared from in front of her.

And then, the next place he appeared was right below her, in her shadow. It was the shadow made by the sun overhead because Sophia had swung her arm.

Kai put power into his right fist. Reading flow of magic power in its entirety, he targeted Sophia’s abdomen, which had become the least guarded.

Kai: “Let’s talk calmly later, with your daughter!”

Archbishop Sophia: “Goh!?”

That attack easily knocked Sophia out. Sophia collapsed on the spot, curled up on the ground.

Kai: “…Next is”

Kai, who had confirmed this, immediately looked around. On the right, the chairman and a man from the God-Destruction Cult who looked like a soldier were fighting. On the left, Tendou-san was being pincered by a paladin and a wizard, but he was still pushing through, which was impressive.

Kai: “First of all…”

Snap!

Archbishop Freya: “What!? From where?!! What about Sofia!?”

I looked at the shadow of the wizard who was troubling Tendou-san. If Kai could see it, he could teleport to it, whether it was a person’s shadow or not.

Kai: “She’s lying down over there. How could you kill so many people?”

Kai looked at the dead bodies around him. They were all burned, presumably the work of this fire wizard. So, Kai spared no mercy, but he thought he’d leave the execution to the law.

Archbishop Freya: “Da, damn it!!”

There was no way for the wizard to deal with this situation, being so close to Kai. He desperately tried to raise a fireball, but there was no way Kai was going to give him that time.

Kai: “I’m used to defeating wizards!”

Kai knocked the wizard unconscious with one punch to the jaw, imbued with magic power.

Tendou: “Well done, kid!! Haja Issen!!”

Thanks to that, which had created an opportunity, Tendou’s attack pierced through the sword of the guarded Zoid and cut the armored man in half with a single strike.

Archbishop Rogue: “No way… The tide turned in an instant…”

Rogue, who had seen that, looked around with an expression of surprise. Just a moment ago, victory was within reach, but with Kai’s arrival, Sofia was defeated, and Freya was knocked out in one hit.

Facing the black dragon, Zoid alone was not enough, and he was defeated by that final strike. The situation had reversed, and now only Rogue could fight.

Chairman Kagetora: “It seems we’ve won.”

Archbishop Rogue: “It seems so, I didn’t expect everything to be turned upside down with one move…”

Rogue dropped his shoulders, as if in resignation. No longer was victory within our reach. Against the mysterious power of Kai, the Black Dragon, and the Fist God, there was no chance of a turnaround.

Chairman Kagetora: “Do you wish to surrender, Rogue? Perhaps, even your life…”

Archbishop Rogue: “…No, I won’t surrender. That’s my final pride. Well then, Kagetora.”

Chairman Kagetora: “Wha-!? W-wait, Rogue!!”

With those words, Rogue plunged his dagger into his own heart. Blood flowing, Rogue collapsed to his knees. Kagetora rushed over, cradling the fallen Rogue.

Archbishop Rogue: “Why, Rogue…”

Archbishop Rogue: “…I don’t know… it kinda… It kind of feels like a fog has cleared. I… I just wanted to save Olivia… and yet…”

For a moment, light returned to Rogue’s once dull eyes. But the light faded quickly, and there, Rogue’s life came to an end.

Chairman Kagetora: “Fool… Get scolded by Olivia in the next world…”

Kagetora closed his eyes for a moment. He gently closed Rogue’s eyes with his hand.

But he soon rose.

Chairman Kagetora: “It’s our victory. Begin treating the wounded immediately! The casualties are numerous! The two surviving members of the God-Destruction Cult are to be extradited to the United States!!”

Kagetora loudly proclaimed their victory. His triumphant gesture was broadcast across all of Japan. Two had been captured.

The sorcerer who called herself Freya, and Reina’s mother, Sophia.

News Caster: “We, we’ve won! The identity of the boy enveloped in what appeared to be lightning is still unknown, but with his assistance, we have driven back the God-Destruction Cult and won! Our nation’s protectors have triumphed!!”

With this report, news of Kai would spread across the world. The power and uniqueness of Kai, the potential danger he poses to the nation. But right now, the only thing that would be etched into the hearts of the people was their victory.

News Caster: “Our nation has defeated the high-ranking members of the global criminal organization known as the God-Destruction Cult. This group has tormented the world for years… Huh? What’s that?”

It happened while the announcer was relaying their victory to the world.

Something fell from the sky. Breaking through the sound barrier with meteor-like speed, something that looked like a person descended.

Archbishop Freya: “Ugh… I, I’m not… done…”

Freya, his jaw broken by Kai, staggered to his feet. Kai noticed this and quickly prepared to knock him out again.

He hardly looked like he could fight, but he was still an S-Rank.

The moment he readied his sword and tried to activate his skill.

It fell from the sky.

Archbishop Freya: “Gaah!!”

Freya was crushed by whatever fell from the sky. His body being impaled, he vomited all his blood and died. The impact was like that of a meteor strike, blowing away everything around it, debris and surrounding buildings alike.

Kai: “Wha-what’s going on!?”

As the debris flew, Kai, Tendou, and Kagetora squinted their eyes. Sand and dust were thrown up, obscuring their vision.

Reina: “Mama!”

Reina, despite the chaos, embraced her mother, who was about to be flung away and had fainted.

The impact subsided, and the dust and sand settled. What emerged from it was a person.

Kai: “…No way.”

Kai was looking at a person. The world’s most famous clearer.

And seeing his status, I was lost for words.

Kai: “What… is this… monster…”

It was an American. The most famous, the most arrogant, and the most powerful man in the world…

Chairman Kagetora: “…Arnold Alteus… So he’s come.”

The moment Kagetora saw the man’s appearance, he muttered the name.

It was the name of an ally. Technically, an ally of humanity.

But not the gentle kind.

It was the name of the embodiment of destruction. He was an American, belonging to the United States, but not to the military. But even Kagetora understood that he must have come in response to Japan’s call for help.

He was the 『Tyrant』 who seemed to embody freedom, being the freest in the world. The individual with the greatest power, capable of destroying nations single-handedly.

Kai: “Transcendent… Tyrant Arnold Alteus…”

Kai was familiar with this being. The apex of this world are the S-Ranks, but there are beings that even exceed S-Rank. Among the billions of humans, they are the five most powerful.

Magic power exceeding 1 million, such an entity is known as,

『Transcendent』―entities that surpasses even the S-Rank which are called gods by some.

Arnold:『Phew… I thought I’d have some sushi after a long while… but looks like it’s almost over. Well, might as well get to work. I’m going to…』

He cracked his neck, the man dressed in an aloha shirt, shorts, and sandals. With his short blonde hair and sunglasses, he looked as if he was going to the beach for a casual outing.

Moreover, his physique was a colossal tower of muscle, towering at a height that not even Tendou-san or Kagetora could compare to.

That giant turned towards us.

His gaze fell on Reina.

More precisely, on Reina’s mother.

『…Kill the God-Destruction Cult!!』

And then, Arnold, with a speed that left sound behind, approached Reina and the others.

Kai: “Reina!!”

At the same time as Kai cried out, Reina stood in front of Arnold. Protecting her mother, Sophia, who had collapsed and was semi-conscious.

Arnold halted his fist for a moment.

Arnold:『HEY, JAPANESE. Move aside. It’s the President’s orders. Kill all the God-Destruction Cult members.』

He raised his fist again, this time directed at Reina who was standing in front of Sophia.

Reina: “I won’t move!”

Arnold:『OK, then die.』

The world’s strongest fist lunged at Reina.

Without any hint of hesitation or mercy, the mightiest power that could obliterate everything was unleashed.