Facing Kei's piercing question—whether he would still save a world where humanity's end was already sealed—Charlie answered without a shred of hesitation.
"Yes. I will save this world."
"The fact that humanity's future has been extinguished is something that has already happened, and I cannot change it. But… At the very least, I will eliminate the culprit who brought catastrophe to this world."
*PU-CHI!*
As if an arrow had struck her heart dead-center, Kei was stunned. In her eyes, Charlie's figure looked utterly majestic and incredibly cool.
After a full year exposed to the dark side of humanity—especially men who no longer hesitated to unleash their vileness once societal order collapsed and laws ceased to exist—Kei had even begun to view all men the same: predators driven solely by base desires.
That was why Charlie's gentle yet strong and resolute personality managed to pierce the iron wall around her heart.
Hiding her embarrassment, Kei changed the subject.
"By the way, Charlie-san mentioned earlier that three others survived. To me, that means there's still a glimmer of hope for humanity. Didn't ancient stories say humanity began with just Adam and Eve? I'm sure the same thing can happen again!"
"What you say is true, Kei. Unfortunately, there's one absolute condition for that plan to work."
The moment the topic turned to this, Charlie's expression grew awkward. Discussing the continuation of the human race amid an apocalypse was the last thing he wanted to talk about with a teenage girl.
"Huh? Don't tell me…"
Kei was a smart girl. She immediately guessed where this was going.
"It seems you've figured it out. For reproduction, you need a pair: one man and one woman. The problem is… the three survivors of the great purge are all women."
"No matter how strong your desire to continue the bloodline, without a man, it's impossible."
"…"
Silence enveloped them once more. But this time, it was broken by Kei's voice, sounding bolder than before.
"Isn't Charlie-san still here?"
"Eh?"
Her words startled Charlie. The suggestion was logical, but coming from Kei—a 16-year-old girl—it shocked him.
(Compared to bearing a child with a man I've never met, I'd rather bear Charlie-san's child.)
Unconsciously, Kei's mind began imagining 'adult' scenes that made her cheeks flush.
Who says only men can have lewd thoughts? Women aren't much different!
*JIIII—*
Two pairs of eyes suddenly fixed on Charlie with an intensity that sent chills down his spine. Aishia and Est stared at him with unreadable expressions.
"Does Onii-chan want to mate?" Est asked innocently.
"Cough! Cough!... Est, where did you learn that word? 'Mate' is used to describe animals breeding, understand? Don't say it again."
Clearing his throat loudly, Charlie deflected Kei's topic that seemed to crave his seed.
"Alright, let's put this on hold. The enemy is closing in. After wiping out humanity, the Abyssal Devourer is now targeting us—and the remaining humans on the Savior's side."
Through his Six Eyes, Charlie saw countless monsters two kilometers away, charging at high speed and kicking up a dust storm in the distance.
"Let's run, Charlie-san!"
The words burst from Kei's lips, laced with fear born from the primal instinct to survive.
For survivors like her, the first reaction to a monster threat was always the same: flee. Find a hiding spot, stay quiet, and pray the danger passes.
But Charlie didn't move. He extended his hand—not to pull Kei and run, but to gently pat the girl's head.
"Don't be afraid, Kei. Why? Because I'm here! Trust me—you'll be safe by my side."
(Hmm… Feels pretty good. No wonder protagonists often pat girls' heads.)
The sensation of his touch, combined with Charlie's confident words, gradually melted Kei's fear.
"Oh right, I forgot Charlie-san is incredibly strong. To you, those monsters are just cannon fodder, right?"
Kei bowed her head deeper, letting her white hair curtain the blush creeping across her cheeks. She didn't brush Charlie's hand away. In fact, that warm palm gave her a sense of security—a luxury nearly forgotten in a ruined world.
"You could think of it that way. Compared to Heracles… the opponent I fought before, those monsters are no match for me. They only have numbers."
"Trying to overwhelm me with quantity? Naive!"
Charlie withdrew his hand from Kei's head, his focus shifting to Est.
"Est, stay here with Aishia."
Est wanted to protest being left out of the fight. For the Holy Sword Spirit, not being drawn in battle meant doubting her worth. But Charlie cut her off.
"But—"
"They're not worthy of me unsheathing you, Est."
"Okay, I'll listen to Onii-chan."
Having placated the sulking Est, Charlie gently pushed Kei toward Aishia.
"Aishia, protect Est and Kei."
"Mm."
Aishia nodded lightly, without Est's resistance. To her, Charlie's orders were absolute.
*BZZZZTTTT!*
She acted immediately, activating her Spirit Art and erecting layered barriers around the three of them.
Turning around, Charlie stepped forward. His Six Eyes measured the monster horde's distance: 1.5 kilometers and closing fast. They looked like a black wave sweeping through the city's ruins.
Time for talk was over. Time to show the power of a Level 6!
"Charlie-san! May I know the names of the survivors you mentioned?"
Inside the softly humming barrier dome—vibrating from the approaching monsters—Kei asked before Charlie could walk away.
Her reason was simple. She wanted to know if the other two female survivors were people she knew. Of course, she understood the odds were slim. With only three people surviving out of eight billion, the chance of knowing them was nearly zero.
But there was no harm in trying, right? Humans always need hope—no matter how small—to fight despair.
Charlie stopped and turned.
"Their names are Koyasu Tsubame and Fujiwara Moeha. Right now, both are in Egypt, protected by one of my comrades."
In his Senrigan vision, he saw Wang Jian looking annoyed as he dodged the cheerful teasing of Moeha, while Tsubame stood beside him in her usual vigilant stance.
(As expected from Fujiwara Chika little sister, known as Earth's cancer. Even in this world's state, Fujiwara Moeha is still cheerful.)
Charlie was grateful the survivor he found was Kei, not the sadistic Moeha.
"That's Moeha! Thank goodness she's alive!"
Kei couldn't contain her overflowing joy. The tears she had held back for so long—tears of despair she never let fall during the apocalypse—now poured out as tears of relief and hope.
Fujiwara Moeha was her best friend!
She had thought everyone she knew was gone.
Seeing Kei cry, Charlie grew awkward. He wasn't good at handling crying women—especially happy tears mixed with relief like this. Rather than face a complicated emotional situation, he chose the battlefield. Physical fights were far easier.
"I'm off."
With those brief words, he turned his back on them, his body radiating a gentle wind aura.
*WHOOSH!*
Using Wind Spirit Art, his body lifted into the air, shooting like a projectile toward the monster crowd now only one kilometer away.
Behind him, inside the sturdy protective dome, Aishia watched Charlie's departure with calm eyes. Est stared in the same direction.