On another part of the battlefield, Airi, Nora, and Lin continued holding their ground against the endless waves of hell creatures. Airi's sword flashed every time she deflected an attack, while Lin covered their openings and Nora struck down anything that got too close.
But Arou—
He stood there in silence.
His mind was somewhere else, his eyes completely blank.
Without him noticing, thousands of gigantic demons had appeared behind him. Their towering shadows blocked out the light.
"Arou, move!"
Airi's voice snapped him back to reality.
Arou jolted. His body froze, and his reflexes were too slow.
In an instant—
Nora sprinted toward him and shoved him out of the way.
CRASH!
A demon's scythe came swinging down.
Nora's right arm was struck.
"AAARGH!"
She grimaced in pain and dropped to one knee.
"Idiot… don't space out…"
Holding back the pain, Nora immediately activated her healing magic. A soft glow surrounded her injured arm.
Arou froze.
His eyes were empty.
"Arou?" Lin called out worriedly.
"Arou, stay alert!" Airi said firmly.
Nora turned toward him, her face filled with anger and pain.
"Why do you always make things harder for us, huh?!"
She gritted her teeth.
"You're supposed to be the guy protecting us! So why is it always the other way around?!"
"Nora, calm down," Airi quickly said.
Arou lowered his head.
"…I'm sorry."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
Brilliant purple flames suddenly erupted from Arou's body.
Arou raised his head and smiled faintly.
"Thank you… for yelling at me."
In an instant, his body transformed.
Massive purple wings emerged from his back.
His clothes were torn apart and disappeared beneath the overwhelming surge of energy. His body slowly lifted into the air, hovering above the ground.
"What… what is happening?" Lin whispered.
Airi and Nora stared in shock.
Arou's fingernails grew longer, becoming sharp like a demon's claws.
His eyes turned red, while dark markings appeared around his left eye.
Without hesitation, Arou shot forward, facing the thousands of hell creatures alone.
He stopped in midair, directly in front of the enemy army.
"You guys…"
Arou glanced back at them.
"Stay behind me."
Without realizing it, Lin, Nora, and Airi obeyed.
The next second, Arou vanished from their sight.
He was moving far too fast.
Slash after slash tore through the demonic army. Their bodies and cores collapsed one after another. His movements were wild yet precise, like an unstoppable purple storm sweeping across the battlefield.
"This…" Nora muttered, trembling slightly.
"What happened to him?"
Airi swallowed nervously.
"Maybe… my words hurt him."
She stared at Arou's rampage in the distance.
"And maybe… we're not even important to him anymore."
Lin slowly nodded.
"Your words made him stay silent for too long."
Before them,
Arou stood alone.
No longer a burden—
but a monster protecting them.
---
After every hell creature had fallen, Arou slowly turned toward Airi.
His gaze was cold.
Without warning, he lunged toward her, his sharp claws aimed straight at her.
"A—!"
Airi, Nora, and Lin instinctively closed their eyes, their bodies frozen with fear.
But—
There was no pain.
When they opened their eyes again, Arou was standing behind them.
In his hand was the head of a demon.
The demon's body collapsed to the ground.
Arou tightened his grip.
CRACK.
The demon's head shattered in his hand.
Lin, Airi, and Nora stared at him with pale faces.
For a moment, Arou felt… unfamiliar.
Terrifying.
Slowly, the purple aura surrounding Arou faded.
His wings disappeared. His claws returned to normal, and his eyes regained their usual color.
Arou returned to his normal form.
He lowered his head and looked at his blood-covered hand.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
"If I scared you."
The three of them stared at the blood still dripping from Arou's hand.
"I'm just glad you're all okay," Arou continued with a small smile.
"That makes me happy."
Lin fell silent, his heart trembling.
What is this…?
Is he no longer the Arou I knew?
Nora looked away, forcing a smile.
"Yeah… thanks for not killing us."
Arou blinked.
"Huh? Why would I kill you?"
Airi lowered her head slightly.
"Because Nora yelled at you earlier… We thought you might take your anger out on us too."
Arou was silent for a moment before giving them a faint smile.
"I would never kill you."
He looked at each of them.
"You're the most precious things I have."
Nora clicked her tongue and muttered,
"Tch… acting like you're so amazing."
"I heard that, you know," Arou replied casually.
Silence followed.
Then—
Lin let out a small laugh.
Airi smiled as well.
Arou chuckled.
Even Nora eventually laughed, though she continued grumbling under her breath.
---
Not long after, the air around them suddenly changed.
A figure with bat-like wings and a humanoid form stepped out from the shadows.
His footsteps were relaxed, as if this hellish world were nothing more than an ordinary garden.
Zata.
He walked toward Arou, Airi, Nora, and Lin, who had just been laughing together.
Airi was the first to notice him. Her expression immediately became tense.
"Arou… it's him."
Arou turned around.
"Zata?"
In an instant, Airi, Lin, and Nora froze again.
"What are you doing here?" Arou asked.
Zata gave him a faint smile.
"I just want to join your group."
He tilted his head.
"Is that okay?"
"Group?" Arou frowned. "We're scattered all over the place."
Zata slowly shook his head.
"Not in this world."
His voice remained calm.
"Here, you've all been divided into several groups. The first group to escape this place will move on to the next stage."
He looked at Lin.
"The other groups…"
"…will be wiped out."
A pause.
"That is Vowl's game, isn't it, Lin?"
Lin flinched.
"How do you know that?"
Zata chuckled.
"You think I don't know anything?"
"That's a lie, isn't it?" Nora cut in nervously.
Airi clenched her fist.
"If they get wiped out… we'll lose more members."
"Exactly," Zata said casually.
"That's why I want to join this pathetic little game."
He looked at Arou.
"So? Can I join?"
Arou sighed.
"If we look for the others, can we still stay together as one group?"
"No," Zata answered immediately.
"You won't be able to meet them again."
"This is a group game, not an alliance."
"Ugh…" Arou rubbed his temples.
Airi looked at Zata uncertainly.
"So… you're really going to come with us?"
"Of course."
"But I'm not fighting."
"Unless I feel like it."
Nora frowned.
"What? You should help us."
"Wow. Such an aggressive little cat," Zata said casually.
"Like I said, I'll fight when I feel like it."
"How annoying," Nora muttered.
Lin crossed his arms.
"Don't tell me you're just planning to ride along and take the victory."
"You're actually weak."
Zata glanced at him.
"I'm not weak."
"I'm just lazy."
"Excuse," Lin shot back.
Zata smiled.
"Want me to prove it?"
"With just one punch."
"Go ahead," Lin said, pointing toward the distance.
"See that volcano?"
"Punch it from up close."
Zata yawned.
"From up close? Too much effort."
"Fine," Lin said with a shrug.
"I'll do it from here," Zata replied casually.
"Can you really do that?" Lin asked.
Zata chuckled.
"Watch."
He slowly swung his fist.
"0.1%."
BOOOOOOM!!
The volcano was destroyed in an instant.
The sky above it cracked open, revealing a brilliant red glow from within.
Lin stared at the scene with wide eyes.
"…Wow."
Zata laughed proudly.
"And that's not even one percent."
Airi swallowed nervously.
"Zata really is a monster beyond comprehension."
Arou nodded.
"Even though he looks like a ghost, his power makes absolutely no sense."
Zata slowly turned toward him.
"What did you just say?"
"E-eh? Nothing!" Arou panicked, then suddenly pinched Airi's cheek.
"Look! Airi's so pale. She looks like a ghost!"
"Arou!"
Nora turned toward him.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"That has absolutely nothing to do with what we were talking about," Lin muttered.
Zata burst out laughing.
"Hahaha… interesting."
"This group…"
He grinned.
"…might actually be fun."