-Well, well, what do we have here?-

-*****-

-Woah, I see… but relax, we have all the time in the world, hehe.-

-*****-

-Tch, you’re annoying, kid. Stop messing around; you’re not the only one.-

-*****-

-Why do I do it? Because it’s fun, hehe.-

-*****-

-I’ve grown a bit fond of you. You went from being a speck of dust to an insect.-

-*****-

-Hey! You don’t ask a lady that.-

-*****-

-Annoyingly boring… stop babbling.-

-*****-

-Get going. It’s time for your show to start.-

-*****-

-Entertain me, insect.-

A young man with dark hair lay on his back, eyes closed, breathing steadily, peacefully asleep on a wooden bed.

-Foreigner! Foreigner! Foreigner!-

-Hmm… who’s shouting so much?- Martin opened his eyes slightly and saw a blonde girl in gothic attire, looking nervous as she kept shouting. He had just had a strange and blurry dream, recalling fragments of it.

-Foreigner! For God’s sake, we have to go! Stop sleeping!- Alice grabbed Martin’s arm and pulled him up.

-Wha… what… is happening… calm down… don’t… pull me…- Martin was dragged along while still half-asleep, the dream from a moment ago still spinning in his mind, but he had no time to dwell on it.

-We’re under attack! That bastard Divine Emissary and his shitty order were terrorists. They started exploding like human bombs. We were lucky to be in the locker room and avoid the initial blast.-

Martin, still groggy, opened his eyes in disbelief and looked around. There were remains of arms, legs, and other body parts scattered everywhere. Blood covered the surroundings, and people were running in terror. Some hooded figures were fighting the guards, while others were killing civilians in cold blood.

-What the hell…- Martin’s eyes widened, unable to believe what was happening.

Without hesitation, the young man with dark hair concentrated and tried to activate his ability. But like a lighter without fuel, he only saw sparks before a sharp pain pierced his brain.

-Ouch!-

-Don’t push your body. You used up all your ether reserves during the battle. The healers treated your most urgent wounds, but they can’t do anything about the exhaustion- Alice said, leading the way as they dodged the pilgrims and debris flying in all directions.

After advancing a few meters, they reached behind a storage area where a group of people were huddled together, trembling with fear, hiding from the danger.

-Relax, we’re friendly- Alice said, raising both hands.

-It’s the Delirium’s Daughter!- said one of the children in the group.

-Over here, Delirium’s Daughter!- a woman motioned for them to hurry over.

-Thanks- Alice hid with Martin.

-We’ll be safe here; there’s no one nearby for the moment- one of the men in the group said.

-What’s the situation?- Alice asked, her face serious and unshaken.

-Those bastards are blocking the exit, and their leader or whatever is fighting Alan. All we can do is hide and wait.-

-I see a fierce battle at the exit- Martin said, standing against the wall, observing the situation. His senses were above average, allowing him to perceive clearly what was happening in the distance.

-That’s the foreigner!- someone in the group exclaimed, recognizing the disheveled and fatigued Martin.

-Foreigner, do you see another way out?-

-Not at the moment. We’ll have to wait for those guys to beat the hooded ones and then escape quickly.-

-You heard him? Stay calm and don’t try anything- the man who seemed to be the group leader called for everyone to remain calm.

Martin, closely watching the situation, was amazed at the level of skill and strength displayed in the battle. It couldn’t compare to the tournament fights.

“How weak I am…” A feeling of inferiority took over Martin as he watched the relentless fight.

-What about old Alan?- someone in the crowd asked.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

-He’s giving the other guy a beating. I think it’ll be over soon at this rate.-

-Phew… thank goodness, we’ll be safe.-

“Don’t raise death flags,” Martin frowned and gave a murderous look to the man who had just spoken. His extensive knowledge of comics, anime, novels, manga, books, and movies told him that the worst always happened when a character uttered similar lines.

-Miss Alice, what happened to that bald bastard?-

-He was sent to the other locker room, and I haven’t heard anything since. We need to stay alert, foreigner.-

-Let’s hope we don’t run into him- a trembling girl said, fear evident in her voice.

“Damn it with these people, they just keep raising flags,” Martin frowned at the girl, who felt his gaze and hid behind her mother.

BAM BAM BAM.

The group of hooded figures covering the exit was struck down, collapsing to the ground, defeated by the mercenaries.

-They’ve been defeated! Let’s get out of here!- Martin said urgently upon seeing the outcome. The opposing team had synergy and teamwork dozens of times superior, securing the victory.

The group of people rushed out from behind the storage area and headed quickly toward the exit, with Martin leading the way, alert to any potential threats.

-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!-

A terrifying roar echoed in all directions, as if a monster had been unleashed.

-There go your damn flags- with his hair standing on end and cold sweat running down his back, Martin turned his gaze to the combat arena.

The events unfolded quickly, and the bald man with golden eyes turned the tide, starting to pummel Alan, who now seemed like a punching bag, being hit and thrown around helplessly. Meanwhile, more problems arose as the defeated hooded figures stood up like zombies, their bloodshot eyes launching them into a frenzied attack.

“Damn, that giant bald guy is going to finish off the old man and unleash a massacre afterward. And these bastards have gone crazy and are attacking with everything.” Thinking of a way to escape this predicament, Martin noticed many unconscious people, including some guards and pilgrims.

-Alice, what’s happening?- His companion had slowed down and looked tired.

-Don’t you feel that immense pressure…? It’s hard to walk… even to breathe… my head is spinning…-

-I don’t feel anything different; that’s strange- Without thinking much about it, Martin stopped and turned to the girl.

-Come here- the young man crouched down and lifted Alice onto his back to run in a different direction.

-Hehe… you never lose your manners… knight…

-Hang on, Alice. We’ll escape somehow.-

-I’ll try…-

Martin headed toward the wall of a collapsed building and placed Alice on a chair, intending to wait here for the moment, away from the chaotic scene.

-Things look bad. The old man looks half-dead, and the hooded ones have gone berserk- Martin looked desperate and anxious, running out of ideas.

-It’s normal… there’s a fallen God involved…-

-That nature goddess or whatever?- A while ago, the bald man’s words had echoed throughout the area.

-Yes… outside the ten main gods… there are hundreds more… some harmless, others malevolent…-

-Damn it! What can we do then?-

-Defeat the vessel… the giant bald man… probably… the goddess descended upon him…-

-That’s impossible!-

-No… I… can’t… think… of another… solution…- Alice’s pauses grew longer and longer.

-Alice! Don’t fall asleep!-

-I’ll… sleep… a… moment… you… can… do it… knight…-

-I’m not a knight! Just a simple vagabond!” The girl collapsed on the chair and lost consciousness.

“What the hell is going on…” Martin stepped out from the collapsed wall and saw a hundred people lying on the ground. Something seemed to be affecting everyone except him.

BAM.

A loud crash was heard from the exit, and a hooded man was split in half by a giant axe. Next to the lifeless body of the pilgrim lay four other corpses, three belonging to the religious order and the last one a red-haired girl holding a bow with a broken string.

-They defeated them… Finally, a chance!- Martin watched the scene with hope and turned back to get the girl.

-I FINALLY FOUND YOU, BASTARD!- A bald man in a tattered robe appeared in front of Martin, blocking the hole in the wall.

-You son of a bitch! What do you want?!- A scream full of rage and anxiety came from Martin’s mouth.

Flash.

A lightning bolt struck the ground where Martin had been standing moments before.

-KILL YOU, OBVIOUSLY!- The Divine Emissary’s eyes were bloodshot, and madness was visible in them.

Flash, flash, flash.

Martin ran toward the exit in an instant as lightning struck the ground. The Divine Emissary was in a state of complete insanity, blindly attacking, trying by any means to kill the boy.

“This idiot… he’s not even aware of his attacks.”

-DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!- the pilgrim repeated endlessly, relentlessly chasing Martin.

-Hey, help!-

-Isn’t that the foreigner?-

-That guy behind him is the Divine Emissary!- the leader of the mercenaries, Robert, shouted in alarm.

-L-le-leave it to me! Waaaah!- The wolf girl named Lisa ran toward the crazed pilgrim in tears. The recent death of her comrade had her deeply saddened.

-COME HERE, BASTAAAAARD!- The Divine Emissary shouted in anger, launching lightning bolts to no avail.

-I WON’T FORGIVE YOU, BASTARDS!- A beast girl with wolf ears and a tail charged furiously at the pilgrim.

SLASH.

The right arm flew off in a blink.

-Huh?-

SLASH.

The left arm separated cleanly from his body.

-What?-

SLASH.

The man’s head flew off without him even realizing what had happened.

SLASH, SLASH, SLASH.

The legs, hips, and feet were cut in succession by a rain of fluid slashes.

-Ah! Ah! Ah!- The wolf girl panted heavily, staring at the dismembered body.

-Thanks…- Martin looked at the scene in disbelief, his hair standing on end.

-It’s nothing, foreigner. Now we need to figure out how to deal with that- Robert looked at the bald man floating in the air, surrounded by a divine aura covering his body, shining intensely in gold.

-If Alan falls, we’re done for- said the muscular elf named Doyle.

-We need to figure out how to proceed- added the hunched old man in white robes, kneeling as he silently blessed his fallen comrade.

-Are you joining us?- Robert asked with a smile.

-I don’t think I’d be of any help…- Martin scratched his head awkwardly.

-No problem, good luck, kid!-

Robert’s group moved towards the other corner of the courtyard, where Alan was fiercely fighting the bald man. He was covered in cuts and bruises, blood flowing freely from his open wounds; he wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Here I come, Alice” Martin ran toward the spot where he had left his friend. Looking around, he could only see corpses and unconscious people, but he wasn’t a hero or a saint to save them all, so he prioritized rescuing the girl.

-DAMN IT, DON’T SCREW WITH ME!-

-WHY!-

-DON’T PLAY WITH ME!-

Martin raged upon arriving at the site. The second-floor ceiling had collapsed, covering the hole in the wall and blocking access to the building.

-ALICE! ALICE! ANSWER ME!- Desperation took over his body, and he shouted at the top of his lungs while trying to clear the debris.

-This is impossible…-

-The only person who reached out to me… someone I could call a friend… will end like this… what do you want from me, damn it… I know you’re watching… I’ve remembered some parts… you bitch…- Martin had realized that the strange dream he had, were distant memories from when he was in the darkness.

During that time, someone or something had been in contact with him, probably that god who had been erased from this world, “Desty.”

-What do I do?-

Martin looked between the open exit and the collapsed building. A crossroads had appeared before him: would he choose to escape and save his life or stay to save his friend? Time was ticking away, and options were running out.

-Sorry, Alice.-

The young man with dark hair stood up and ran with all his might, not looking back. His figure grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared through the exit.