The Past Bares Its Fangs and Shaves Away Life

Incarnations of magma—Volnyux’s minions—overflowed from the earth.

They were one of the more irritating factors when dealing with her. The moment they were birthed, the monsters lunged at the crowd, eager to fulfill their purpose.

“Tch—[Trial Summon]: Baal Wild Hunt, Luna Managarm, Othinus Ambrosius Merlinus!”

I’d just sent everyone back, but I didn't have a choice. I instantly summoned the allies I needed to face her.

Three figures emerged from the summoning circles I’d deployed… and for some reason, Behiko manifested right along with them. I was surprised, but I didn’t have a second to spare on wondering why. I immediately barked orders to the group.

“Merli, handle the civilian evacuation! Baal, Luna, keep Volnyux pinned down!”

“...This is several times worse than I’d anticipated. Typical. Don't worry, leave it to your big sister,” Merli said with a sigh.

“Got it, Master!”

“Orders received. Let us see how they like this form.”

Fighting in their beast forms in the middle of a city was out of the question, so they were forced into their human forms for combat. Since Luna couldn't exactly use her bare hands against that heat, she equipped gauntlets, while Baal leveled his twin spears.

“Don’t you dare go ruining our Kushinada’s concert!”

“Grandpa?!”

In a flash, just as we were about to make our move, Yamato-san came falling out of the sky. Kushinada-san screamed as he launched a surprise attack on Volnyux, cleanly severing her arm.

“Oh? So this world has its share of the strong as well. However, I’d advise against engaging me in close quarters.”

“Huh? What the hell are you—?”

Taking the arm was a good start.

The price for it, however, was Yamato-san’s katana melting into a useless heap. It wasn't his usual blade, but anything he deemed fit to carry was surely a masterpiece. In a single breath, it had been reduced to slag.

“My body is magma itself. If you strike it with iron, what else did you expect to happen?”

And that wasn't all.

The severed arm didn’t just regenerate—it returned even sturdier than before, swinging a molten fist back at Yamato-san.

“Tch, this is the worst possible matchup!”

He managed to block the strike with what was left of his ruined sword, but now he was essentially unarmed.

This is going south fast. I leapt onto the stage, called forth a specific weapon, and tossed it to Yamato-san.

“Ah… I knew you’d show up. I’ve missed you, Reima!”

“The feeling isn’t mutual. Yamato-san, use that! It’s forged from Hihi’irokane!”

“Lad… you know this thing?”

“I’ll explain later. If we don’t kill her, we’re dead.”

That was all I had time to say.

I summoned Laevateinn and immediately began cycling buffs through the Summoned Beasts and Yamato-san. After prioritizing heat resistance, I doubled everyone’s physical output and layered on every other reinforcement I could manage.

“...I suppose I should be enjoying this, but my interest lies solely in you. I think I’ll have this 'Hero' deal with my pet instead.”

Volnyux smirked and summoned a minion.

It was a titan, easily exceeding ten meters in length. With its craggy, pitch-black skin, it had been her ultimate trump card back in the other world. I remembered having to take this thing down before I could even get to Volnyux in the past. Facing them both at the same time was a nightmare scenario. Fighting her alone in this world was already pushing it; letting this monster run wild was suicide.

“Yamato-sa—”

“I get it. I’ll take the big one, right? I’m leaving that woman to you.”

“...Right. I’m counting on you!”

Yamato-san clearly realized his style was a terrible fit for Volnyux. He chose to trust me, turning his back to charge straight at the obsidian titan.

“A wise decision. Now then, let us share our love, Hero.”

I watched Reima head toward his opponent while Ayane and I moved to intercept the monsters appearing around us. We had to do what we could.

They looked like foreign warriors of a type I’d never seen before. They carried a variety of weapons, and even a cursory glance told me each one possessed a mana pool exceeding A-rank.

“Laura-san, what are these things?”

“Volnyux’s minions. They don’t regenerate, but as long as she’s standing, they’ll just keep multiplying forever.”

“Great. Just perfect. But we can kill them, right?”

“Yeah. We can handle this many. Let’s go, you two.”

No one bothered to reply.

To protect the people trapped here, we threw ourselves into the fray against the tide of minions.