A/N: Hello everyone! Here is today chapter!
Chapter 80 along with Chapter 30 Rewrite.
Please do check both!
PS: Thanks toF auzan_Aditya for the power stones!
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The group split into two units to sweep and clear the entire island.
The first team consisted of Tobio Ikuse, Toujou Sae, Nanadaru Shigune, Alice Louise, and Anisphia.
The second team was Minagawa Natsume, Samejima Kouki, Lavinia Reni, Hajime, and Sagiri.
Their plan was simple; move in opposite directions to encircle the island, then regroup at the villa in the center.
Barely a few minutes after splitting up, Hajime's team encountered fragmentum monsters. Kouki cracked his neck with a grin and launched himself straight into the fray, fists swinging like wrecking balls. Natsume drew a pair of sleek pistols, the kind favored by church exorcists, and opened fire with precise, rapid shots.
"Don't hold back, Birdbrain!" Kouki called out, mid-swing of his punch.
"Wasn't planning to, Sharkbrain!" Natsume shot back, her pistols shooting light bullets.
Kouki barreled into a Flamespawn, punching it hard enough to send embers scattering, then dove right into the middle of the pack, fists pounding anything that came too close.
Lavinia kept her distance, her eyes alert as she scanned for any threat that might slip past Natsume and Kouki.
To her mild surprise, the two handled the fragmentum monsters with ease. She hadn't even needed to lift a finger.
"...They're good," Hajime admitted, eyebrows raised as he watched the clean efficiency of their movements.
Sagiri tilted her head at him. "Why do you sound so impressed?"
"Impressed doesn't even begin to cover it," Hajime replied with a half-smile, nodding toward the pair.
Natsume's sacred gear, Griffin, who takes the form of falcon, swooped overhead, whipping up slicing gusts that tore through the enemy line. Beside her, Kouki's white cat Byakusa, adorable at first glance, lashed its spear-like tail with deadly precision, impaling any spawn that dared get close.
"Show-off," Natsume teased between shots.
"Look who's talking, Birdbrain," Kouki shot back, grinning.
With their teamwork, the monsters barely lasted seconds before collapsing into dust.
"Hmm, even if these things are weak, they're still products of a cosmic anomaly, one that's capable of devouring entire planets," Hajime said, raising his finger towards the windspawn. But before he could do anything, an ice spear passed through the air and skewered the creature.
He raised a brow and turned toward the source. Lavinia stood a short distance away, surrounded by a halo of floating icicles, each one positioned to launch at the nearest threat.
"...Most worlds couldn't even handle these monsters," Hajime continued. "Even some interstellar civilizations struggled against them."
"....I see." Sagiri nodded, finally understanding why Hajime was impressed.
The moments later the bushes ahead rustled. A figure emerged, a devil but its body covered by jagged fragmentum crystal. It moved slowly and unsteady.
"Eeww… that thing looks like it crawled straight out of a zombie apocalypse," Natsume grimaced, wrinkling her nose.
"Since when do you learn how to get disgusted, Birdbrain?" Kouki shot back, rolling his eyes.
"What did you just say, Sharkbrain?!" Natsume snapped, spinning toward him.
Lavinia observes the incoming new enemy. Her eyes never left the corrupted devil's slow, uneven approach. There was a trace of curiosity in her gaze.
She turned, intending to ask Hajime what they should do with the new incoming enemy but stopped when she noticed his expression, brows knit as if piecing together a puzzle.
"Hajime Nagumo, what should we do with him?" Sagiri's calm voice cut into his thoughts.
Feeling like Sagiri had just stolen her line, Lavinia gave a tiny pout that no one noticed.
Hajime blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. With a simple snap of his fingers, the space twisted, and a small black hole materialized in front of the fragmentum-corrupted devil. In an instant, the creature was pulled apart and reduced to nothing.
Kouki and Natsume both shuddered at how casually he'd summoned something so terrifying. Even their sacred gear spirits—Griffin, Natsume's falcon, and Byakusa, Kouki's white cat—flinched at the oppressive energy radiating from it.
"D-Dang… is a black hole something you can just… make? Like that?" Natsume asked, her voice dropping to a wary mutter.
Kouki's cheeks twitched.
"Nee, Hakkun, is something bothering you?" Lavinia tilted her head, noticing how Hajime's thoughtful frown stayed even after the monster and that casually summoned black hole had vanished.
Hajime exhaled slowly. "...Just thinking." His turned gaze over her, Sagiri, Natsume, and Kouki. "Let me confirm something. Before the upcoming conference, Devils, Fallen Angels, and Angels… they've always been enemies, right?"
Lavinia's cheerful expression turned serious. "That's right. In fact, this upcoming peace conference will be the first official declaration that the war between the three factions is over."
Kouki raised a brow at Hajime. "Why the sudden history quiz?"
"Because something about all this isn't adding up," Hajime replied, his tone sharp. "The Stellaron… it was in the hands of Kokabiel, a Fallen Angel, correct?"
"...That is correct," Sagiri replied with a slow blink, studying his expression.
Hajime's gaze swept across the group, his voice tightening. "Then why is there a devil here?" He gestured toward the now-empty spot where the corrupted creature had been. "This island is crawling with fragmentum, and we just saw a devil twisted by the Stellaron. A Stellaron that's supposed to be in the hands of a Fallen Angel."
—--
"...And judging from the corruption levels, this isn't just random contamination. They were hit head‑on by the radiation of an active Stellaron," Anisphia explained, glancing over her scanner and showing the readings to Tobio and the others of team one. "Not off hand contamination, but direct corruption, while the Stellaron was still in use."
"...Is there a chance they were just taken by the Fallen and experimented on?" Shigune asked, brows furrowing as she glanced at one of the downed enemies. Not just devils but also human magicians were corrupted by the fragmentum.
"Possible," Alice replied, folding her arms, "but very unlikely. Fragmentum corruption doesn't work that way. These people weren't just experimented on, they were eaten alive by the fragmentum. That only happens when the Stellaron is still fully active."
"Then… maybe the Stellaron changed hands? Like, it was with the devils at first, then Kokabiel ended up with it?" Sae suggested, tilting her head as she glanced between the others.
"Normally, I'd agree," Anisphia replied, shaking her head. "But with how closely the mystical side watches every faction's movements, there's no way a fight big enough to change owners would slip past their intelligence network."
Tobio slowed his pacing for a moment, then rubbed the back of his head. "So… are you saying there's a chance—just a chance—that the fallen and devils were working together when they used the Stellaron here?" His eyes move from Alice, then to Anisphia, confirming the possibility of this scenario.
Alice and Anisphia exchanged a brief glance.
"...Sorry, but yes," Alice admitted, her tone calm despite the gravity of her words. "With how things look like right now, we think that they're both actively trying to harness or at least experimenting with the Stellaron's power."
Tobio's jaw tightened, his expression darkening. Beside him, Jin, the black dog-shaped independent avatar type sacred gear, nudged against his leg. Despite the friendly gesture, Jin was no ordinary companion; it was a Longinus-class sacred gear. The faintest hint of a smile tugged at Tobio's lips as he reached down to scratch its head. "Thanks, buddy," he murmured.
Shigune clutched Poh closer, the small masked horned beast squirming slightly in her arms. Sae's gaze jumped between Tobio and the rest, worry etched across her face.
With a small sigh, Tobio straightened. "I can't draw any firm conclusions yet… but we should head to the villa in the center. There's a good chance we'll find clues there."
"Understood," Alice said firmly, stepping forward without hesitation.
One by one, the group nodded, and they began their careful approach toward the center of the island.
—-
Soon, both groups converged at the edge of a clearing where the old villa stood between the hills, its silhouette framed by dense trees and cloaked under heavy enchantments. After exchanging what they had seen and listening to Alice's theory, they began a cautious survey of the place.
"This place is ridiculously warded," Alice muttered, magic circles spinning around her as she scanned the defensive layers. "These barriers… they're not just meant to keep something in. They're also actively muting any attempt to detect what's here from the outside."
Lavinia's brows furrowed, her breath fogging slightly as a chill crept along her spine. "And if someone pushes through, the wards will lash out—hard. Whoever set this up didn't just want the place hidden… they wanted anyone who found it to regret it."
Her serious tone made Hajime glance at her, realizing this girl wasn't just an innocent, cheerful type. There is undeniable strength under that smile.
Sae gave a short nod, her omyou slips glowing with faint light. "If anyone without permission enters this villa… they won't even have the chance to regret it."
That earned a brief silence, the group's demure tightening.
Tobio exhaled slowly, brows furrowing. "A double-layered concealment and deterrent barrier, huh?"
Natsume's gaze sharpened, almost challenging the air around them. "Which means whoever owns this villa has something worth going to great lengths to hide."
Lavinia shot a glance at Tobio. "We'll try disabling it. Shaae and I can work together to shut down some of the nastier spells before they cause trouble." Her tone was calm but her hands were already gathering magic.
Alice stepped up beside them, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Count me in. I can copy the spell formula, pass it to Anis, and we'll track the triggers. With any luck, we can 'switch off' most of this mess without blowing ourselves up."
As the three coordinated, Hajime's gaze lingered on the villa, his eyes narrowing.
"Too complicated and too slow," he muttered under his breath.
Before anyone could ask, he stepped forward without hesitation.
"Nagumo-san!" Tobio barked, alarm spiking in his voice. "Hold—!"
But Hajime was already crossing the boundary of the defensive layers. Instantly, magic circles flared to life, hurling curses, elemental blasts, binding chains, draining wards—every vicious trap designed to make any intruder wish they'd stayed far, far away.
Yet the moment the attacks touched Hajime, they simply blinked out of existence.
The entire place went dead quiet. Even the defensive layers seemed to hesitate, as if trying to process what just happened. If they had a voice, they'd probably say something like, "Wait—what just happened??"
Everyone from Slash/Dog and Sagiri stared, their expressions a mix of disbelief and confusion. They watched Hajime stroll forward as if he were on a casual walk in the park, completely ignoring the barrage that should have reduced any living thing to dust.
"Did… did the spells just vanish?" Sae asked, blinking rapidly.
"It went all 'whoosh'… then just poof—gone," Lavinia muttered, twirling a finger in the air to illustrate.
Hajime raised a brow, clearly unimpressed. "Well, that was overly dramatic."
Alice and Anisphia facepalmed at the same time, as if the thought had just punched them both in the head.
"How did we miss something that obvious?" Alice groaned, rubbing her temple.
Anisphia let out a long sigh. "Hajime's ridiculous magic resistance. Of course."
Tobio blinked, tilting his head. "Wait—magic resistance?"
Sagiri frowned. "We have something similar in this world, but not like that. Hajime Nagumo just walked through a multilayered barrier and erased every magical defense that had been set up. That shouldn't even be possible."
"Yeah, well… neither is killing a god," Anisphia said casually, as if it were a normal Tuesday.
Alice gave a crooked smile. "I'm not sure how it works here, but in our world, Hajime as a Campione—a godslayer. On top of a superhuman body, his bones are tougher than steel, his instincts are sharp enough to sense any threat before it strikes, and his magical reserves rival the divine. And his magic resistance… let's just say it's in a league of its own."
Anisphia continued, "He's at the absolute peak of what a human body can become. His very existence has adapted to his abilities, pushing him beyond normal limits. That's why he's almost completely immune to magic—unless you're a god, or even stronger, your spells probably won't do anything but tickle him."
"And even divine-class magic isn't a guarantee. It depends on the god's power and the quality of their divinity. He's already taken down Gilgamesh and Enkidu, both top-tier in divine strength. Unless the magic matches that level, it's not going to do much." Alice added.
Sagiri glanced toward Hajime, who was casually walking through the villa's courtyard as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "So… it's not that the defensive barrier failed—it just ran into the wrong person. A ridiculous existence named Hajime Nagumo…"
Anisphia burst out laughing at Sagiri's remark, clutching her stomach. "Welcome to the glamorous, peril‑filled life of traveling with a Campione! Ahahahaha. Trust me, it never gets boring."
Hajime, lounging in the courtyard beyond the boundary barrier as if he'd just returned from a stroll, glanced over his shoulder at the group still staying outside. With a lazy wave and a voice that sounded almost too casual for the situation, he called out,
"The magical defenses are cleared. Nothing here should bite, burn, or explode on you now so get in here already."
They traded looks, part disbelief, part resignation, as if silently agreeing that this was just how Hajime operated.
Lavinia tilted her head, her wide eyes twinkled with a mix of awe and curiosity. "Wow… he just strolled through all of that like it was a garden path."
She turned to Alice and Anisphia with a curious smile. "So… does he always treat death traps like minor inconveniences?"
Alice gave her a knowing, almost weary look. "Far too often," she replied, as if the answer carried a story or two behind it.
Lavinia let out a light giggle, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's… kind of amazing," she admitted, her tone warm but curious. Her eyes flicked back to Hajime, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"The more I find out about him, the more I can't help but want to see what he'll do next… like he's always hiding the next surprise."
With a mix of sighs, some amused, some resigned, the group stepped after him, crossing one by one through the no-longer-hostile barrier and onto the villa grounds.
—-
As they stepped into the villa, a female devil in a crisp maid uniform stood at the entrance. Unlike the devils they'd encountered earlier, whose bodies were corrupted and covered in fragmentum, this one's form was faint, almost see-through.
"Gh–ghost!!!" Natsume yelped, hiding behind Tobio like her life depended on it.
The maid devil flinched at the sudden outburst, her eyes narrowing as she spotted Hajime and the group. "Humans? What are you doing in a villa owned by the Leviathan family?! No, wait—scratch that! How in the world did you even get here?!"
Hajime blinked slowly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Well… thank you, maid-san, for conveniently confirming some very useful information while you were panicking."
The maid's eyes widened the instant she realized it, a hand flying to cover her mouth as her face paled.
"Kuh! To think I was tricked by a human into revealing the secret of this villa… how utterly disgraceful of me!" she spat, her voice trembling with frustration.
Her glare snapped to Hajime, who stood there calmly, one hand rubbing his chin as if already calculating the possibilities this villa held. A faint twinkle of mischief flashed in his eyes before he tilted his head toward her, lips curling into a sharp, almost predatory smile. The maid instinctively stepped back.
"Hmph… how disgraceful of you indeed," Hajime drawled, his tone dripping with mockery. "To not even recognize us—the ones sent by the Fallen to conduct the Stellaron experiments."
"What?! Th-that's impossible!! You're lying! The Fallen and Devil top brass already gave up on using the Stellaron on the young lady!"
Meanwhile, a few steps away…
"…What's Nagumo-san doing?" Tobio asked in a low voice, leaning slightly toward Alice.
Alice exhaled through her nose, a faint smirk tugging at her lips, while Anisphia pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"…He's baiting the maid devil into spilling more info," Alice murmured. "And… unfortunately for her, she just did. Again."
"Ahaha! This is gold! A maid with a mouth that is loose is a blessing for us—and a disaster for whoever's paying her!" Anisphia snorted between laughs, clutching her sides.
The Slash/Dog team blinked, jaws dropping, as Hajime somehow managed to trick the maid into not only admitting that the Devils and Fallen had some cooperation in using the Stellaron—but also revealing it involved the young lady of this mansion, owned by the Leviathan.
"...But this island's been abandoned for years, right? And it's crawling with corrupted beings… So how is that maid still alive?" Sagiri asked, her brows furrowed.
"...That maid's been dead for a long time, Sagiri-san," Alice replied flatly, her voice devoid of emotion.
The calm, matter-of-fact tone sent unease through the group. All eyes turned toward her.
"...Al-chan… what do you mean by that?" Lavinia asked, using the pet name she'd given Alice during their girls' bonding the night before, her voice laced with uncertainty.
"...that maid isn't real, more like a leftover image from the fragmentum," Alice muttered, her voice low.
Anisphia gave a small, knowing smile and gently held Alice's hand. "Well, sometimes... The strongest emotions of those trapped inside a fragmentum zone stayed. The zone can play them back, just like this."
"Wait—so she's basically a ghost?!" Natsume suddenly piped up from Tobio's back, eyes wide.
Anisphia chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Close, but not exactly. Hmm... how to put it..."
She tapped her chin in thought. "Think of it like this: what you're seeing is a reflection of people in their final moments before being swallowed by the fragmentum. It's showing you who they were... right before they—" She hesitated, her voice dropping to a whisper, "—died."
The atmosphere grew heavier, the truth of the situation settling over them. In that moment, they finally understood why Alice's tone became weird earlier.