After finishing their journey through the sky, Aya, Reina, and Nagi have returned home to Japan. It can’t be helped that only Kai remained behind to clear the A-Rank Cube.

Aya: “I might consider renting a temporary house in China. Then, Kai-san can always come back and cook… Kyaa!!”

Aya had been indulging in her pink-colored fantasies during her solo sky journey. As she is nearing adulthood, such thoughts are increasingly on her mind.

Reina: “Can I live there too, Aya?”

Aya: “Absolutely not, Reina. You’ve been going overboard lately, and I feel like a mistake might happen.”

Reina: “But I’m fine with being a mistress.”

Aya: “No, that’s not it! A mistress is someone who is loved! I want to be number one!!”

Reina: “How about… a convenient woman?”

Aya: “Where did you learn such a word? You used to be so emotionless.”

Reina: “Nagi taught me. Right, Nagi?”

Nagi: “Hehe”

Nagi stuck out her tongue and struck a cute pose.

Aya: “You’re adorable, Nagi-chan. But it’s surprising to see you have this side to you. Are you a little devil? No, a strategist?”

The airplane carrying the three of them flew straight back to Japan. While they felt a bit lonely in a Japan without Kai, they also had a feeling that he could appear from any shadow they see.

Aya: “For now, I’ll consult with Grandpa about various things regarding the future, since lots of things suddenly popped up.”

Reina: “Alright.”

Nagi: “Big brother also said he’ll return to my shadow for a while tonight!!”

◇ Meanwhile, Kai

A badge depicting a sword and spear on my chest. I proudly wore this mark as a member of the Battle God Guild as I cleared the dungeon.

Kai: “It’s been a while. Dungeon clearing, I really love this atmosphere. An A-Rank Cube, huh?”

Feeling the slightly cold air on my skin, it felt as if I had returned home. Then, I saw a Red Species appear in front of me. The strongest species that only appears in A-Rank Cubes, the red existence covering every kind of species. In this Cube, there are goblins, wolves, and even ogres. There are also some spiders that I don’t really know about, but this is a cave type. I have the feeling that about 70% of dungeons are cave type. The poor-quality magic stones scattered around illuminate the ground, making it easy to see even without a torch.

As long as there is light.

Kai: “──Lightning.”

There will be shadow.

Using my teleportation with lightning, I began to kill the monsters. I must solo clear 100 monsters in this dungeon. Plus, the third condition is not to take any damage from the monsters. I don’t know if it counts if I just get grazed, but I need to concentrate really hard.

Is the boss fight the same? This seems pretty brutal. Telling me to clear without taking any damage is quite difficult. But it’s a great training opportunity. There are many enemies where one hit would be fatal, like Arnold’s attacks.

Kai: “I’ve been thinking for a while… the conditions for a complete clear seem like training.”

While stealthily hunting my 50th monster, I had a realization. The conditions for a complete dungeon clear are like from a game. And the special conditions in games are difficult, demanding sufficient skill to achieve.

Kai: “Do they want to nurture the strong, or give power to the strong… or is it impossible without these eyes in the first place? Presuming they’re handing power to those who have these eyes…”

Something inside me is starting to connect. Without these eyes, these conditions couldn’t be met. It’s not impossible, but it would be difficult if you didn’t know. And the conditions seem to be training me…

Kai: “…Well, no use thinking about it. Oh, a group.”

And then, I faced a swarm of Red Species that had appeared in front of me. Each one being a monster with nearly 100,000 magic power that could destroy a whole town by itself. There were five of them: a red ogre, a red wolf, a red bug. This cave was filled with a diverse array of enemies, disregarding any sense of species unity. Even so,

Kai: “Huff… that makes 55.”

In the wake of my lightning, only the charred remains of the red creatures were left.

◇ Meanwhile, Japan

TV Announcer: “May we interview you!!”

TV announcers and cameramen were conducting street interviews in Tokyo’s business district.

TV Announcer: “What do you think about the banishment of Kai Amachi?”

Interviewee 1: “Eh? That S-Rank guy, right? Since the reasons behind his actions haven’t been revealed, it’s hard to say… but I don’t see him as such a bad person──”

TV Announcer: “Oh, that’s enough then.”

The announcer cut off the interview before it had finished. The image she wanted wasn’t this.

Interviewee 2: “Kai Amachi? Oh, that S-Rank boy. I was scared, I don’t really know but… It would be terrifying if he went berserk…”

A housewife expresses her fear about Kai, not really understanding him. The fact that he assaulted Arnold that day is widely known to the general public. Only the reason behind it was kept secret. Tanaka, Kagetora, and Reina all thought it was better this way.

Though when thinking about Kai, they still had feelings of wanting to announce it, but since his banishment had been already decided, they just had to endure.

TV Announcer: “Thank you for your valuable opinion!!”

Once she had gathered enough suitable material, the announcer ended the interview. The interview results are edited with malicious intent. Not with the purpose to frame Kai, but because that way gets better ratings.

Knowing that viewers enjoy criticism, the media collects only convenient comments and edits them maliciously. As if this is public opinion, and as if the public desires this.

◇ A few hours after Aya and the others returned to Japan.

The television was dominated by discussions about Kai every day.

Commentator: “What do you think, Yamazaki-san? Can his actions be justified?”

Two commentators were exchanging opinions on the TV.

Yamazaki: “It’s difficult, isn’t it? No matter the reason, he resorted to violence. I cannot defend him on that point. Noblesse oblige, those with power must bear responsibility. I heard he’s still a minor and hasn’t even attended university yet. He lost his parents at an early age, so perhaps he has many immature aspects mentally?”————

Commentator: “But shouldn’t the fact that he defeated the God-Destruction Cult be appreciated? It’s also true that it would have been dangerous without him.”

Yamazaki: “Well, Arnold-sama came to help, so there wasn’t really a necessity for him to defeat them. On top of that, I fear worsening relations with America. Moreover, he exchanged sake cups as sworn brothers with Wei Wang of China. If we invite him to Japan, wouldn’t relations deteriorate further? Being caught between China and America, what will happen… We are a middle-power nation militarily. We have to uphold the Japan-US Security Treaty.”

Commentator: “There are also public opinions saying that Kai Amachi should be returned to Japan. You oppose this, Yamazaki-san?”

Yamazaki: “Yes, I cannot agree. It almost feels like they are preparing for war with America. It’s true that our country has overwhelmingly fewer S-Rank individuals compared to other countries. However, we have some very good news today, don’t we? Isn’t it almost time for the press conference?”

Commentator: “Yes, it starts at 15:00… in about two more minutes… um, ah, yes. It seems we are ready now, so we will switch the screen. Please go ahead.”

And then the TV news switched.

That day, an emergency press conference was hastily arranged. It was also a proposal from the former chairman Kagetora, for the sake of the citizens filled with anxiety over Kai’s expulsion, the God-Destruction Cult, and the concerns about Dragon Island.

Surrounded by many reporters, former chairman Kagetora and current chairman Akuzawa sat side by side.

Next to them was another person, a beautiful young girl with silver hair.

Akuzawa: “Now that it’s time, we will make the announcement.”

Akuzawa stood up, picking up the microphone.

Akuzawa: “Thank you for gathering here today. As we informed you beforehand, she is an association staff member and one of the few S-Rank individuals in our country, Ginno Reina-san.”

With those words, Akuzawa, swaying his plump belly, looked at Reina. The reporters also clicked their camera shutters, eagerly waiting for the significant statement.

Akuzawa: “It has been confirmed that our association’s Ginno Reina-san is the sixth transcendent of the world!!”

Click click click!!

Reina had received back the magic power that had been sealed by her mother on that day. As a result, her total magic power exceeded one million, as Kai had said. With this, it was confirmed that she exceeded the limits of the measuring device, therefore it was decided to announce to the world that she was a transcendent today.

Reporter: “May I ask a question?”

Akuzawa began answering questions from the reporters one after another. It was explained that Reina’s phenomenon was a rare reawakening phenomenon caused by Cube clearing. The relationship with her mother Sophia, a member of the God-Destruction Cult, was not explained even until the end, as Akuzawa stopped it because it would give a bad image.

Akuzawa: “From now on, Reina-san can become our country’s guardian as a key figure in national defense! So, everyone, please rest assured! Even without Kai Amachi, there’s no problem!”

Kagetora: “You didn’t have to say that…”

Hearing that statement, Kagetora muttered discontentedly under his breath. It was also Kagetora’s idea to announce Reina’s transcendence to reassure the citizens and strengthen national defense. If it couldn’t be hidden, it should be announced effectively.

They set up this occasion because Reina agreed, but Akuzawa emphasized that there was no problem even without Kai. Even if it was to reassure the citizens, downplaying someone they were close to did not feel good.

Kagetora: “So this is what the ‘next generation‘ feels like… maybe you could call him skillful or…”

Still, Kagetora listened in silence. He also thought that if it reassured the citizens, it was fine. Even if he had to follow up with Kai later, he was already old and had to endure this much.

Reporter: “Now, could we have a word from Reina-san?”

The reticent Reina was known throughout Japan. Very few people had heard her voice, which was why she had a popularity as a mysterious person.

Akuzawa: “No, Reina-san doesn’t usually speak at such events—!?”

Akuzawa tried to stop the questions from the reporters. However, Reina snatched the microphone he was holding. It happened too fast for Akuzawa himself to understand what happened, and the general public couldn’t even visually perceive it.

Kagetora: “Reina!?”

Seeing this, Kagetora was surprised. He thought she had changed since that day, but even then, she wasn’t the type to take proactive actions.

Akuzawa: “Eh? … Re, Reina-san!? Could you give it back—!? What’s this?”

Reina: “Shield of Light.”

A translucent shield that glowed like silver glass appeared between Reina and Akuzawa.

Akuzawa: “Hey!?”

Akuzawa banged on the wall repeatedly but couldn’t get past it. The reporters also murmured, wondering what had happened, but everyone became quiet and listened intently when Reina began to speak.

Reina: “I have something I want you to hear.”

It was the same throughout Japan.

Her clear and beautiful voice resonated around the world through the airwaves.

Reina: “My mother is Sophia Ginno. The archbishop of the God-Destruction Cult who was killed by Arnold Alteus that day is my beloved mother.”

Akuzawa: “Wha!? St, Stop the cameras!!”

Hearing that statement, Akuzawa panicked, and Kagetora smiled. He had a kind of justice that had resigned itself to unavoidable circumstances as he aged, but this girl wasn’t concerned with such things.

Simply letting herself go, keeping the passionate flame burning.

Melting the ice, what burned fiercely was the flame of love.

Reina: “Mama was manipulated and did something wrong. But even so, Kai tried to help her, he faced the strongest for me. What Kai did was said to be bad for everyone. But it’s different for me, I was happy that Kai tried to save mama. There’s no way Kai is a villain. So, I can’t say it well but…”

Tears flowed faintly in the eyes of the silver-haired girl.

Reina: “I can’t forgive anyone who bullies Kai. Because I-”

She conveyed her feelings to the world. With her silver hair fluttering, she raised her face and declared.

Reina: “I love him.”

Straightforward words of love.

To the world.