I gazed up at the wall.

A mass of Foreign Entities climbed it, grinning brightly as they peered down at Londan from above.

At a glance, they looked like beautiful people merely visiting Londan. But no Foreign Entity with any goodwill would scale the wall just to enter the city. The truth was simple: these Entities were hostile, intent on slaughtering humans.

With this conclusion in mind, I pondered the best way to handle them.

The Gardener’s power?

Since we were inside Londan, any bodies would be promptly disposed of. I could use the Gardener’s abilities, but it would overtax both her and me, draining my life force considerably.

This left only the Dragon Slayer and Bell, but I was already borrowing power from the Dragonling. With just that, there was no way to handle such a massive number of Foreign Entities. Bell’s detection abilities couldn’t cover such a wide area given the enemy’s supernatural nature.

While racking my brain, I remembered the Inquisitor’s power to absorb pain, a skill that could be applied with surprising versatility. Maybe I could redirect the pain I’d absorbed to these Foreign Entities.

I had accumulated quite a bit of pain, after all.

To test it out, I focused a crimson aura on the leading Entity and sent it forward.

As soon as the red energy touched the Entity—

“...?”

At first, it was confusion. It was clear the Entity was beginning to understand that something was wrong.

Then came cold sweat, pouring down.

“…Gahhhhhh!”

And finally, it collapsed to the ground, clawing at its own hair before its eyes went blank.

Dead.

Uh…

This power was stronger—and crueler—than I expected. To kill something through pain alone…

…This might be a power I shouldn’t use often. Just witnessing it was enough to make me feel my own heart race in dread.

While I was caught up in these thoughts, two shots exploded on either side of the Entity I’d killed, ripping through the ranks. Hunter had fired her gun.

Every time I saw her shoot, the power seemed stronger than before.

I glanced at Hunter in surprise, and she merely snorted.

“So, that’s the Inquisitor’s power you absorbed? It seems you can kill with it.”

“...Yeah, I suppose.”

“If you know how to use it, then stop dawdling. This situation isn’t exactly in our favor.”

Hunter was right. More Foreign Entities were pouring in, like a tidal wave from behind. If I didn’t act soon, Londan would face complete annihilation.

I couldn’t let that happen.

I blew the party whistle. Hunter grimaced at the sound but nodded, understanding my intent, before focusing on her own task.

Almost immediately, I felt a weight on my shoulder, followed by a faint prick at my neck. I winced at the slight pain, sensing the fangs retract.

Then, the one who had bitten my neck wrapped her arms around my face.

“Do well, my beloved.”

The Dragon Slayer whispered before pressing a gentle kiss to my temple and disappearing.

Her sudden affection caught me off guard.

「That fox…!」 「Woof! I want to lick a human too!」

…My head was spinning with confusion, so I chose to ignore it.

Alright, with the Dragonling’s energy recharged, it was time to take action.

Unfurling my freshly invigorated wings, I soared into the sky. Hunter, seeing I was ready, began her approach.

In the air, I distributed the accumulated pain energy among the Foreign Entities, fragmenting it into tiny particles. Red specks scattered across the night sky like stars, floating down to the Entities below and gradually embedding themselves.

The Entities moved, unaffected at first, merely bewildered.

This time, I spread weaker, more numerous doses of pain. Killing each Entity through shock alone wasn’t efficient, so I opted to use a method inspired by the Inquisitor’s original technique.

Reaching out, I focused on the Entities marked with the pain particles, then visualized them all gathering in a single spot and clasped my hands.

And just like that—

Thud, thud, thud!

“What’s going on?!”

“Why is my body moving on its own?!”

…It was exactly as the Inquisitor had done. The Entities’ bodies clumped together, drawn to a single point. The only downside was the sheer number; they began to struggle and break free.

“Hunter!”

But I wasn’t alone. Hunter responded with action.

Bang! Bang!

Two shots rang out, and the clustered Entities exploded, reduced to shredded masses of flesh. Watching so many bodies burst at once was stomach-turning, but there was no time to stop. I couldn’t afford to repeat my past mistakes.

“Hraaagh!”

With that move, we had seized the key to victory.

Hunter adapted her combat style to match my use of the Foreign Entities’ powers.

Tanton’s power was overwhelming. The once-weak Raydan Tanton had absorbed so much power from the Foreign Entities that he now seemed stronger than even himself.

The cost of this power was no doubt immense.

Lost in thought, I barely noticed footsteps approaching from behind.

“П̴̨̰̌̎̔͡о̷̙͈͎҇̓̓͐͢й̵̨̦͉̠̇̓͞м̴̨͍̬͋͋͞а̸̛͕̑̅͋͜л҉̢̛̣͔̮͌͐!”

“Damn…!”

Hunter’s attire wasn’t as reinforced as before. While she wouldn’t die from this attack, an unguarded hit could leave her seriously injured.

She prepared to sacrifice an arm to eliminate the attacker—

“...!”

But then, her body shifted to the side, dodging the attack entirely. The Foreign Entity seemed confused, adjusting to pounce again.

“...Ą̵͈̓̇̉̕а̶̨̘̜͙҇͐a҉̗͙̈͌̕͢a̴̡̟̱̗͑̌͡a҉̧̛͍̩̊̊̆a҈̪͉͒̈́͜͞a҉̥̯̄̕͢!”

With a final scream, the Entity collapsed, lifeless.

Hunter looked up at the sky. She seemed nonchalant, but it was clear she knew I’d saved her.

I had gathered and directed the pain to preserve her life.

But why did she put up a barrier with anyone who tried to approach her, only to act with such precision in battle? Was it on purpose?

Just then—

“...S҉̧̝̗̘҇͆̿̒,, Save҉̢͍͑̍̏͠ me҈̢̛͓̥͊̍͊…”

“…?”

For a moment, it felt as though the dying Foreign Entity, half its body blown away, had spoken in human language.

“...Mental contamination,” Hunter muttered, rushing forward to finish the job.

Our teamwork was flawless.

I gathered the Entities, and Hunter obliterated them with her shotgun, ensuring none of them reached the buildings. Their fear of us was evident, and they scattered, fleeing the city walls.

Landing beside Hunter, I noticed her gaze fixed on me.

“…No.”

“What?”

“...Never mind.”

Pretending not to understand, she kept her expression blank.

Phew. I think I was developing PTSD.

Still, we had successfully eliminated the Foreign Entities with Hunter’s help.

Footsteps sounded from behind.

“Tanton!”

Agarta reached me before Asti, examining me head to toe for injuries.

Huh. Was this normal?

Asti, meanwhile, watched with a pout, clearly annoyed that her role had been “stolen.”

Once finished, Agarta sighed with relief.

“Thank goodness. You’re unharmed.”

“…Yeah. Thanks.”

“If you’re grateful, treat me to a meal sometime.”

With a playful grin and a thumbs-up, Agarta was unmistakably herself.

I couldn’t help it. I flicked her forehead, making her wince and yelp, “Hey!” I wanted to mess with her more, but with so many eyes watching, I refrained.

With the rebellion quelled and the Foreign Entities defeated, Londan regained a tentative peace.

Peeking out from their shelters, people began to cautiously emerge, confirming the ordeal was over. Slowly, they resumed their daily lives.

A sign that peace had returned to Londan.

“…You did well, Hunter.”

“There’s still more work to do.”

Suddenly, Hunter’s eyes flared with an unsettling intensity.

Oh, come on.

I bolted as if my life depended on it, with the sound of her quick steps right behind me.

“Stop, Raydan Tanton!”

“You think I’ll stop just because you said so?!”

I shouted back, sprinting for dear life.

But before I could get far, a strange weakness spread through my legs, and I stumbled, my balance slipping away.

“Huh…?”

Worse yet, the strength in my body seemed to fade completely, and my vision blurred.

Had I overused the Inquisitor’s powers, straining my body?

No, this couldn’t be happening. If I passed out now, Hunter would catch me.

As that bleak thought crossed my mind, darkness overcame my vision.

“Raydan!”

Asti’s voice was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness entirely.