"Hey… what did you do?"
Ouka Kashima stood beside Shaka the entire time. The thick fog still hadn't fully dispersed, blocking his view of what remained of the cat demon.
Shaka slowly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He forced a weak smile and replied in a hoarse voice:
"It's nothing. I just fed it my precious baby… the kind that goes straight to the stomach."
Forcing the spatial gate open to its maximum output had consumed an enormous amount of mental energy. Fortunately, the cat demon's movements had been restricted at the critical moment, sparing Shaka the extra burden of constantly predicting its position.
Destroying a monster from the inside locking onto it and detonating directly was essentially true damage.
Originally, Shaka had wanted to lock onto the magic stone itself, but the spatial gate couldn't lock on the magic stone. Thankfully, the monster still had a hollow organ like a stomach.
"…Still, this kind of trump card leaves me half-dead after one use," Shaka muttered, shaking his head. "When will I ever reach the level where I can do this seven times a night? That's when I'll be a real master."
The mental potion began to take effect, gradually clearing the fog from his thoughts. He followed it up with a stamina potion, exhaled deeply, and forced himself back to his feet.
"Let's collect the spoils and retreat immediately," Shaka said in a low voice. "The noise we made will attract monsters from everywhere."
He glanced toward Chigusa.
"Miss Chigusa can't hold on much longer. We need to return to the city before the poison reaches her internal organs."
Ouka nodded sharply and grabbed Shaka's arm, pulling him forward as they ran toward the blast site.
At the center of the explosion, Yamato Mikoto her clothes soaked in blood, picked up a dark purple poison sac left behind by the cat demon. The magic stone had been completely destroyed; only this remained.
Shaka was keenly aware of how powerful his explosives were. With the monster's flesh acting as a buffer, the blast damage outward had been limited but the stench clinging to Mikoto was unavoidable.
"Carry Chigusa and move," Shaka ordered. "Ouka, take point."
Mikoto's breathing was uneven. After fully releasing Futsu-no-Mitama, she could barely maintain her detection skill.
Shaka crouched and said quietly, "Rest on my back for now. Recover what strength you can."
At this point, continuing the search was meaningless. The only option was to retreat via the shortest route before the monsters regrouped.
"…Understood."
Mikoto did not hesitate. She climbed onto Shaka's back, and the group immediately descended the mountain along the path they had come from.
The way down was far faster than the ascent. What had taken over an hour before now took barely twenty minutes but even then, danger clung to them relentlessly.
Rustle—rustle—rustle.
The fog thinned, but movement stirred in the surrounding bushes.
"They're catching up!" Shaka shouted. "Ouka!"
"Got it!"
Ouka tightened his grip on the axe, his gaze sharpening instantly.
"put me down," he said.
"…Alright."
The three frontline fighters reformed in an instant, becoming a sharp blade cutting through the forest.
The scattered monsters that rushed them were swiftly cut down.
They burst out of the dense woods, faces smeared with blood. The setting sun dyed everything crimson but no one had the leisure to admire it.
At the foot of the mountain, the scene turned grim.
A dense mass of monsters surged together like an ant colony, blocking the only viable path down.
Asuka's face turned pale, cold sweat pouring down her forehead.
"What do we do?! Our horses are still down there!"
The mountain terrain was steep and unforgiving. Without the proper paths, descending was nearly impossible.
"Don't panic."
Shaka gripped his axe, his voice calm but firm.
"A frontal breakthrough is suicide. We detour."
"But the horses—"
"Forget the horses!" Shaka snapped. "If you don't have mounts, then use your legs. Run!"
Asuka shrank back.
"I just meant… having horses would be faster…"
"We don't have a choice," Ouka said decisively. "They're closing in."
He led the way, hacking through thorny undergrowth. Chigusa was carried behind, followed by Shaka and the others.
The detour slowed them significantly.
Thirty minutes in—
Whoosh!
Flaming projectiles streaked through the air.
Oil-soaked bundles wrapped around stones crashed into the forest ahead.
Four or five goblins appeared, each holding a torch, their grins twisted as they hurled more burning missiles.
"They're setting the forest on fire!" Asuka screamed. "They've lost their minds!"
"They're monsters," Shaka growled. "What did you expect?"
Fire spread rapidly in the dry forest. Heat surged behind them like a living thing.
Smoke choked the air.
Shaka tore off the cloth he had used as a blindfold and covered his mouth and nose.
Chigusa coughed violently on his back.
"Please hold on," Mikoto whispered desperately.
"You… you don't need to worry about me," Chigusa murmured weakly. "Just run…"
Shaka clenched his teeth.
Next time… I must bring antidotes.
A sudden crash echoed to their right trees snapping like matchsticks.
"What was that?!" someone screamed.
"Don't stop RUN!" Shaka shouted, grabbing a lagging member and shoving them forward.
A massive tree thick enough for three people to embrace rolled toward them, wreathed in flames.
Shaka slammed to a halt, grabbed the nearest person, and threw them clear.
The burning trunk thundered past him.
Then another.
And another.
The detour path was completely blocked.
A roar erupted from the fire.
Deep. Savage.
A Minotaur over four meters tall leapt out of the inferno, its entire body scorched red.
"A Minotaur.."
Some collapsed in terror.
Shaka stared at the towering monster and let out a long sigh.
If they fought here, no one would survive.
Someone had to stay.
"Lord Shaka?!" Mikoto shouted from the other side of the fallen tree.
"You go first," Shaka said calmly. "I'll cover the rear."
Mikoto froze.
"Cover… the rear?"
"Lord Shaka! We can fight it together!"
Shaka shook his head.
"Miss Chigusa doesn't have time. You need combat power ahead."
"But—"
"RUN!" Shaka roared.
More Bug Bears burst from the flames.
Ouka didn't look back.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I can only be responsible for my own people."
Mikoto hesitated then someone tugged her sleeve.
"Let's go…"
Shaka stood alone, firelight dancing across his back.
"Why…?" Mikoto whispered.
Shaka didn't turn around.
"Why?" he repeated softly.
He could run.
He knew it.
But..
"I've already been given a second life," he said quietly. "And I knew long ago that the mysteries I seek come with risk."
"I didn't try to crash into truck-kun because I knew the probability of time travel was low, and doing so would seem a bit foolish. But now that I've already time traveled, there's no need to be timid."
"I am living the life I've always dreamed of every single moment right now!"
So, if you were to ask yourself why you made this choice...
One reason is that I promised Takemikazuchi I would take care of them.
The other one is...
He clenched the pendant at his chest.
"Is that even a question?"
He raised his head, eyes burning.
"Because I am a member of the Astraea Familia!"
Yamato was stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief.
At this moment, starlight enveloped Shaka, and he gripped the pendant tighter and tighter.
"Hey, do you know? My seniors and atraea-sama, they have created so many great achievements for this world, for the orario."
How many people did they save?
Even now, the world has not forgotten their figures, and there are still people who, in despair, call out the names of their names
.
"So do you understand now? Yamato. The moment the sword of justice and wings were etched on my back, I bore the weight of everything they represented!"
Shaka laughed heartily: "I can be lustful, I can be arrogant, and I can be lazy. I can use any means to fulfill my ambitions. But there is one thing: when someone is in danger in front of me, I will never standby or do anything half-hearted!"
"I must never dishonor the glory of the Astraea Familia, which was founded with the lives of my predecessors!"
Shaka forcefully ripped off the former commander's clan badge from his neck and held it high above his head.
The silver emblem shone with a dazzling, crimson brilliance in the sunset and firelight.
Her eyes welled up with tears. Even in the Far East, she had heard of the Astrea Familia's fame, but it hadn't really moved her.
Now, facing them in person, she suddenly realized what kind of people they were.
Yamato seemed to see the phantom images of ten heroes surrounding Shaka, and the banner representing justice was fluttering in the flames.
We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain!
Tears blurred her vision, and Yamato began to move, then, as if making a decision, she grabbed her companion and turned to run.
Shaga smiled.
He showed no fear in the face of the monster that had gone mad.
He gripped the raised clan emblem tightly and chanted aloud:
"In the name of Astraea, I make a wish. Maiden of the stars, guardian of the scales, answer my call and descend upon this place."
"The bonds of connection, the covenant of inheritance, like a swift flight across the sky, adorn the earth with the footprints of stars."
"Stars, come to my side!"
Golden light emanated from the clan's crest and slowly merged into Shaka's body.
The next second, he was surrounded by starlight, and a clan emblem composed of sacred characters appeared beneath his feet.
A phantom image of a girl with the same red hair as Shaka slowly embraced Shaka.
Flames danced slowly on Shaka's hair, golden tassels billowing with the heat. The sea of fire was no longer scorching, the air no longer murky, and Shaka seemed to have become a part of the fire.
At this moment, the faces of the two regimental commanders, past and present, overlapped!
Shaka opened her eyes and called out the name she remembered.
"Red flowers abound!"