The Battle Begins

Troops clad in school uniforms filed out of the castle.

This unit was markedly different from the other troops I had encountered so far.

I zoomed in on them with my goggles, “Yuichi,” and counted forty students altogether.

Ah. So Charlotte had decided to bring over another group of Saviors.

“Attention, outlaw! We demand you surrender immediately!!”

The guy leading the group shouted.

Despite the distance between us, his voice reverberated like a rumbling from deep inside the earth.

Indeed, Tsukasa had shouted the same thing when our class arrived at the castle back then.

“Attention, Demon Lord! We demand you surrender immediately!!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at hearing the same line.

I guessed I was in the same position as that Demon Lord now.

The “Demon Lord” who had invaded Charlotte’s castle turned out to be an ordinary human being.

A black cape hung from the man’s shoulders as he gazed at us quietly from his throne. He was young and looked to be about twenty.

“So you’re the new Saviors...”

The man stood up, and we studied him warily.

However, he showed no signs of wanting to engage in a fight.

Instead, he had a look of anguish on his face, as though he would burst into tears anytime.

“You must have defeated various monsters on the way here. Did you not find it strange?”

That was something I had been wondering about.

“They were probably similar to the monsters you see in games and anime. Did you ever stop to think why such creatures exist on this planet?”

Although I’d been curious, I hadn’t had time to give it much thought. After all, we’d been too busy trying to survive.

We listened to the man in silence.

“It’s because all of those monsters exist in my imagination. That’s right. I’m a Savior, just like you.”

“Impossible! You can’t expect us to...!!”

Believe that, Tsukasa tried to say. His voice trailed off as the man took out his phone and showed us the screen.

“Student number 4 (male), Yuto Ohma.”

“Skill: The Creator.”

“Ability to turn dead classmates into monsters.”

All of the monsters we had killed used to be human.

The man’s revelation shocked us to the core.

Some of my classmates choked up and started crying, while others wailed uncontrollably.

Our hopes had been shattered countless times before we finally made it to this place.

Yet, all that awaited us was more despair.

I took out a long spear from my backpack, “Futoshi,” and began walking through the desert towards the group of Saviors.

“Halt! We’ll begin our attack if you come any closer!!”

I estimated the guy was about 20 meters away from me.

I stopped and readied my spear.

The guy, who reminded me somewhat of Tsukasa, raised his voice.

“We shall now take you into custody! Any sudden movements will be regarded as a sign of hostility—”

“Extend, ‘Kotaro.’”

My pike, “Kotaro,” lengthened instantly and pierced the guy between his eyes.

Blood erupted from the guy’s head as I pulled “Kotaro” out of his skull and returned it to its original size, and he collapsed backwards.

“Sorry, I’m not here to talk.”

The remaining Saviors were yelling something, but I drowned out their chatter and reduced it to background noise.

These Saviors had simply been dragged into this mess, just like that Demon Lord and me.

If I wanted my revenge, however, I had no choice but to kill them all.

No matter where I went, there was nothing but endless despair in this world.