When I returned from exploring the dungeon to save the world, I found out that my lover had been stolen, and I was blamed for the failed expedition. Enraged, I quit Japan's strongest party—only for them to self-destruct on their own. - Chapter 40

When I swung Susanoo with all my strength, the blade unexpectedly connected to another dimension.

And inside that strange space stood the Demon God… and Akane.

…What the hell is this situation?

How are they connected?

Could it be… the Demon God is actually Kudono?

“Well, now, this is surprising. What brings you here, of all places?”

“That’s my line.”

[Live Stream Comments]

: Ahhh… Koichi-kun mode is officially over.
: Not surprising, given the situation.
: Wait, who are these people?
: That’s Akane, right? Haruka’s older sister?
: WHAT?! You mean the woman who dumped Koichi?!
: UNFORGIVABLE. How dare she make Koichi suffer?!
: …Guys, focus. Who’s that other guy?
: Is he the sister?
: LMAO, no.

Even as my instincts accepted this entity, my mind was screaming in alarm.

The Demon God remained clad in black, but right now, he was standing over Akane, practically stepping on her.

“For the record, I know that woman. So… what exactly are you doing?”

“Oh? An acquaintance? Hmm… wait, how long have you been watching? Was this a bad look for me?”

Akane was Haruka’s sister.

As much as I despised her, if she died here, Haruka would grieve.

And I didn’t want that.

So I let my emotions override my instincts.

[Live Stream Comments]

: Dude. A black-cloaked guy stepping on a woman? Yeah, that’s a bad look.
: Bro, that’s literally assault.
: It’s giving villain behavior.
: I get that she hurt Koichi, but damn, this is hard to watch.
: Who is this guy?!
: …Wait. Was he going to eat her?
: WTF NOPE.

I threw Susanoo, forcing the Demon God to dodge.

Using that opening, I charged with my usual blade—

Only for him to catch it effortlessly.

But that gave me just enough time to launch Akane backward with magic.

“Koichi… why…?”

“Just go!”

I managed to drop her into Imperial Palace Dungeon.

Since I had already defeated the floor boss, she could teleport to the first floor immediately.

[Live Stream Comments]

: …Why save her?
: Seriously, why?
: We all know what she did.
: Koichi is too kind, even to someone like her…

“Because she’s Haruka’s sister. Her only family.”

[Live Stream Comments]

: …Oh.
: That makes sense.
: Okay, I guess I can accept that.
: Yeah, considering Haruka lost her parents too…
: It’s true she already lost everything for what she did. Maybe that’s punishment enough.

The comment section, usually chaotic, was surprisingly calm after that.

Good.

I had moved on from Akane.

She could live her life—just away from me.

…But why was she with the Demon God?

Maybe I should just ask him directly.

“Oof. Looks like I screwed up. But hey, would you mind putting your weapon away? I promise I’m not hostile.”

“Explain what the hell was happening, and I’ll consider it.”

“Fair deal.”

Even though I had attacked him seriously, he still sounded relaxed.

That alone told me how strong he was.

“First off, I wasn’t hurting her, okay? In fact, I saved her. You should be thanking me.”

“Yeah, see, that’s not gonna happen. She was my ex. The one who cheated on me with the person I hate most. So, no. No gratitude here.”

“Ah… well, that backfired. I helped her because she had your mana signature on her. Thought you’d want me to.”

“…My mana signature?”

Right.

Back when we were together, I used to enchant her accessories—watches, necklaces—for protection.

So she still had one?

“Probably. She was basically thrown into this space.”

“I see… but that still doesn’t explain why you were stepping on her.”

“Whoa, whoa! I wasn’t attacking her! She woke up, freaked out, and started running. I had to stop her. This place is stable here, but a little further in? It gets… messy. If a weak human wandered in, they’d get torn apart.”

That made sense.

I lowered my sword.

So… he wasn’t attacking her—he was preventing her from dying.

Still didn’t explain why he didn’t just use magic to stop her, but… whatever.

“Oh, and, uh… I also tried scanning your mana traces.”

“…Excuse me?”

[Live Stream Comments]

: Okay, WHAT.
: This dude is way too interested in Koichi.
: Feels weird, man.
Hazuki: Koichi, you’ve met this guy before? His energy feels dangerous.
: Yeah, seriously. This is not normal.

“Yeah, we met back in Tokyo Dungeon. He showed up while I was cooking Orc Hamburgers.”

Oh, right.

Didn’t he say he’d come back if I made something delicious again?

“Ohhh, yeah! That meal was amazing. Best thing I’ve eaten in ages!”

[Live Stream Comments]

: …Hold up.
: (Wait… isn’t orc meat disgusting?!)
: (Didn’t Haruka and Natsuki warn everyone not to eat it?!)
: (And this guy loved it? Sure, makes sense, but why did Koichi find it tasty?!)
: (…Is Koichi actually a monster? That would explain a lot…)
: (I mean, he is stronger than most monsters.)
: (GUYS. Focus. WHO IS THIS GUY?!)
: As always, y’all have no sense of pacing. LMAO.

Now that I thought about it…

Would it be a bad idea to reveal his identity?

Probably.

“Anyway, the Dungeon Association’s definitely gonna want me to shut this down. So, ending the stream now.”

[Live Stream Comments]

: NOOOOOOO.
: Another stream abruptly cut short—classic Koichi.
: Can’t lie. This was sketchy as hell.
: Koichi, you’re insane, but we love you.
: Take care, dude!
: Also, shoutout to KIJ!
: …Wait. This was a corporate collab? LOL, forgot.

And just like that, the stream ended.