"Hey! Wait!"
Watching Saigou Izayoi rally everyone with just a few words, Pest's expression twisted as if she wanted to cry but couldn't. Once they understood this was part of the trial, they were all fired up and ready to go.
No, you guys are all monsters! Go get yourselves killed or challenge whatever you want, I can't stop you. But don't drag me along with you!
Pest's current physical abilities were certainly better than an ordinary person's, roughly on par with the average Cursed Child.
But compared to the monster overhead, or even the other savior candidates, the difference was immense. Her little bit of progress was as good as nothing.
For someone like her to be thrown into a life-or-death battle with a monster like that… even if she wouldn't die, it would be nothing but pointless suffering.
Not to mention, what if Black Rabbit was a second too late to save her? What if she really got stomped into a pancake by that Bull of Heaven thing?
Pest's voice wasn't loud. She assumed the frenzied group wouldn't hear her, or wouldn't care if they did.
However…
"What's wrong?"
Saigou Izayoi turned his head to look at the newcomer.
Both he, who seemed crude and hot-tempered, and the seemingly proud and unapproachable Kudou Asuka stopped in their tracks and looked at the newcomer, Pest.
As if sensing her thoughts, Saigou Izayoi spoke bluntly.
"You may have been brought here by Lord Su Mo, but don't expect any special treatment beyond basic teamwork. We're about to take on the trial Lord Su Mo has given us… What, are you quitting? Or do you surrender?"
His tone was completely devoid of concern, bluntly pointing out her other option.
"Quit or surrender…"
Pest lowered her gaze.
Black Rabbit had made it clear earlier: she wouldn't lose anything even if she quit or surrendered. Just like back in the Middle Ages, in her original world, it wasn't in Lord Su Mo's nature to force her. If she didn't want to take another step forward, Lord Su Mo would still grant her wish and let her live a peaceful, happy life.
If she quit now, she would be completely safe… The only price would be Lord Su Mo's potential disappointment.
"I won't!"
After less than half a second of deliberation, Pest knew what she truly wanted.
Even if it meant facing danger, even if Black Rabbit might not save her in time, she didn't want to back down now. So…
"What nonsense! I was brought here by Lord Su Mo himself! Why would I back down from a measly little challenge like this?!"
Forcing her stiff legs to move, Pest's eyes widened as she fought with herself. "I was just going to ask if you guys had a decent strategy! We can't just charge in headfirst like a bunch of wild boars, can we?!"
"Nice spirit!"
Kudou Asuka nodded at Pest, a sign of her approval for the little one.
"Hmph~"
Saigou Izayoi smirked, then arrogantly tilted his head back, gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. "What's there to be afraid of with a mere Bull of Heaven? Never mind that it's just a replica made of Third Stellar Particles—even if it were the genuine article from the myths, yours truly wouldn't give it a second glance."
"I didn't act rashly before because I was curious about this monster's origins! But now that Black Rabbit has confirmed it's the objective of this trial, there's no reason to hesitate!"
With that, he bent his knees, assuming a jumping stance, and laughed wildly. "Sorry, everyone! Looks like yours truly is taking first place in this trial. You all can just watch in envy and bless me as I claim the savior's crown!"
WHOOSH! He shot off the ground and rocketed into the sky.
A sizable crater was left where he'd jumped, a testament to his monstrous strength.
"Wait! Don't be so reckless!"
The moment Izayoi vanished, Kudou Asuka cried out, trying to stop him.
"Dammit, he beat me to it!"
Asuka looked on with envy at Izayoi's mobility. With the physique of an ordinary girl, she couldn't close the distance with the enemy as quickly as he could, even if she wanted to get a head start.
"Pest, I'm heading out too. Huh, Homura?"
Among those present, besides Black Rabbit, the only one with mobility on par with Izayoi's—and in some ways even superior—was Kasukabe You. A whirlwind was already gathering at her feet. She was about to chase after Izayoi and beat him to the punch when she suddenly sensed something, stopped, and tilted her head toward a certain direction in the thick fog.
"Izayoi, be careful! This monster isn't that easy to deal with… Don't go—uwaah!"
A boy who looked to be about eleven or twelve, slightly younger than Saigou Izayoi, came running over with headphones on. It was Saigou Homura.
Though he was a boy, as a researcher, his physical fitness seemed even worse than that of a girl his age. He must have heard the commotion and rushed over, panting so hard he nearly collapsed to his knees.
Seeing Izayoi's retreating figure, he reached out a hand, desperate to stop him, but his dear older brother had never been the obedient type. His silhouette vanished into the sky without a hint of hesitation.
"Stop shouting. He wouldn't turn back even if he heard you," Kudou Asuka advised, seeing Saigou Homura's anxious expression. "You know what your brother's like."
If Homura had been here alone, Izayoi might have worried and tried to get him to safety first. But with all of them together, he naturally had no such concerns.
"But this monster really isn't that simple!"
Saigou Homura shook his head frantically, trying to say something but struggling to find the right words.
Seeing this, Pest couldn't help but speak up. "With that guy's strength, he could probably overpower a divine beast hundreds of meters tall, maybe even one thousands or tens of thousands of meters tall, right? What are you so worried about?"
Slaying a divine beast in the blink of an eye wouldn't be impossible for him. Even an outsider like her knew Saigou Izayoi was that strong. Why would his own brother have such pointless doubts?
Faced with Pest's confusion, Saigou Homura shook his head with a pained look. "No, if it were just a divine beast, it would be simple. With my brother's more-gorilla-than-a-gorilla strength, smashing a couple of them would be nothing…"
"Then what are you worried about?" Pest blinked, still confused.
"The problem is, this thing is way more troublesome than a divine beast!" Saigou Homura said anxiously. "I ran some scans with my equipment the moment it appeared. It's a product of the Third Stelle Particle A-Objective…"
"I don't have time to explain the theoretical principles, but in short, the Bull of Heaven's special structure, formed by Third Stelle Particles, allows it to manipulate water, breaking it down into hydrogen and oxygen. Its material basis seems to be a cycle between hydrogen, oxygen, and water!"
As a researcher, Saigou Homura felt he was being perfectly clear.
However…
"Can you speak like a normal person?! So what?!" Pest demanded, annoyed. It was less a case of being uneducated and more that she'd never had a formal scientific education.
"So, this monster's body is literally just water? The surrounding fog and the cumulonimbus cloud are all manifestations of its body?" Kudou Asuka understood Homura's meaning and immediately sensed trouble.
"A body made of water vapor? What a strange life form!" Kasukabe You, whose grades weren't the best, remarked before asking in confusion, "What's wrong, Asuka? You look a little tense."
"Water vapor…" Kudou Asuka pointed out the key issue. After composing herself, she posed a critical question. "Do you think brute force can defeat water vapor?"
"Of course not!" Kasukabe You shook her head immediately. It was common sense that water vapor was immune to conventional physical attacks.
Then, she realized what Kudou Asuka was getting at and quickly looked up. "Wait! Izayoi!"
If the enemy's body was just an intangible cloud of mist, what good was all of Izayoi's strength?
Seeing that they finally understood, Saigou Homura looked up with a face full of worry and added, "The biggest problem is that when hydrogen and oxygen recombine into water, they release a massive amount of energy."
In other words—
BOOM!!!
A colossal explosion erupted, like ten thousand thunderclaps at once. The sound wave was dozens of times more terrifying than the blast of a nuclear bomb.
The shockwave spread outwards in a sphere, instantly shattering every window in the nearby factories and causing the steel jungle of Tokyo to tremble.
At the Holy Cross Orphanage, the epicenter of the blast, countless flowers, plants, and trees were flattened. If the staff hadn't already been evacuated, the terrifying shockwave alone would have been lethal.
CRASH!!!
Even before the shockwave hit, a boy's figure was blasted from the sky, slamming into the ground and creating a small crater like a meteorite.
"Izayoi!"
Saigou Homura recognized him and immediately ran over in a panic.
"Even a monster like him got taken down…"
Remembering the power Izayoi had displayed earlier, Pest's pupils trembled in shock.
The Bull of Heaven overhead was far stronger than any of them had imagined!