No one across the worlds could have anticipated that Manato would pass away so suddenly... and could never be revived.
The number of people who originally desired to go to another world dwindled. If they were transported to a world like that, with no memories... the ending would likely be the same as Manato's...
[One Piece World]
"Why?! Why does such a good person have to die?"
Luffy punched a rock in anger, shattering it!
Such a companion, who thought of everyone else until his very last moment, disregarding his own life...
His mind was simple, and he couldn't contain his emotions when facing something like this.
Everyone fell silent...
[Cautious Hero World]
Seiya remained silent. Although they were extremely weak, everyone was striving hard to survive...
He could travel back and forth to the Divine Realm and had Rista, a walking first-aid kit who could heal at any time. He was far luckier than them.
Seiya stood before Rista and asked, "Hey, Rista..."
Rista turned her head, displeased. He could just call her 'wife,' but what was this 'Hey'?
"What is it?"
"Are there goblins in this world?"
Seeing his expression, Rista understood his intent. Even though they were minor monsters, there were still some...
"Yes, you want to..."
"The Demon King can wait. Let's annihilate the goblins first!"
A cold, murderous glint flashed in Seiya's eyes. He intended to use the blood of these goblins to pay tribute to the departed soul from another world...
Goblin: "Are you out of your mind?! The Demon King is waiting for you in the Demon King's Castle!"
"You're a hero!"
"Our family is sending someone to...!"
Wasn't this taking things a bit too far?!
Once again, goblins across all worlds found themselves in dire straits. Not only were low-level adventurers hunting them, but now high-level adventurers were also seeking them out...
Especially the people in the Goblin Slayer world, who had long harbored a deep-seated hatred for goblins!
This day would be recorded as Goblin Extermination Day...
[Screen Continues]
[Ranta slung his sword over his back and turned to leave...]
[He couldn't stand still any longer. Nothing would change unless he became stronger...]
[Haruhiro and Moguzo found him at the tavern...]
[The group kept blaming themselves, but after Moguzo's outburst, the two fell quiet...]
[Indeed, when a gentle person gets angry, it's terrifying—especially a big guy like Moguzo. His intimidation factor was off the charts...]
[At that moment, Yoshioka approached and recommended a priest to them...]
[A blue-haired girl with a priest-like demeanor, named Merry...]
[Their first meeting was awkward. Merry's expression was cold, and her words were blunt, leaving everyone speechless for a long while...]
[Screen Continues]
Ranta: "Hmph! Let the world have a good look at this woman's weird personality!"
He was displeased. This was the first time he'd encountered someone he couldn't handle!
Not only he, but the other teammates were also struggling to adapt.
[One Piece World]
When the Straw Hat Pirates saw the name 'Merry,' memories came flooding back...
"Waaaaah!!! Merry!!! I miss you so much!!!"
Usopp burst into tears. He hadn't expected this to trigger such memories.
Luffy and Chopper hugged each other, tears streaming down like waterfalls!
Merry was the eternal pain in the hearts of the Straw Hat Pirates...
[On Screen]
[The team's initial break-in was not smooth. After all, they had preconceptions due to Manato...]
[The priest was upfront, acting like a warrior...]
[But Merry bluntly stated that, as a priest, she wouldn't stand in the line of fire...]
[Ranta was injured and temporarily fainted...]
[As long as it wasn't a fatal injury, she wouldn't use healing magic readily...]
[At night, Ranta kept complaining in the tavern, saying he couldn't stand it. Who could endure that kind of personality?...]
[But no matter what, they had to persevere...]
[Screen Continues]
Rudeus: "A priest shouldn't have been standing in the front lines to begin with!"
He himself was a healing mage and usually positioned himself behind Eris and the others.
This ensured he could heal without interruption while also guaranteeing his own output!
If they had retained their past-life memories, it definitely wouldn't have been like this!
Natsuki Subaru: "Manato pampered them too much. It would have been better to let them grow a bit more independently!"
Rem: "Merry did well!"
Seiya: "Not bad. Finally, there's a cautious person. This is what a proper team should look like!"
Merry: "I hope you all realize the true role of a priest..."
This was also a reminder to herself: everything must have a backup plan.
[On Screen]
[To mend the rift between Mary and Shihoru, Haruhiro sought out Mary...]
[The two hugged, talked openly, and confided in each other...]
[Mary decided she would work hard to accept Merry...]
Ranta: "Traitor! Traitor! This kind of thing actually happened next?!"
"Haruhiro, you sly dog, you actually took the lead!"
Ranta couldn't believe it. He hadn't expected something like this to happen at night!
Haruhiro looked utterly bewildered...
He truly hadn't expected this...
Mary, realizing belatedly, blushed furiously and didn't dare look at them...
[The next day...]
[They met Merry at the bridge...]
[Merry's expression was still as cold as ever...]
[The group arrived at the ruins and didn't falter when facing three goblins!]
[Haruhiro assigned roles, and Moguzo and Ranta charged out swiftly!]
["It hurts!"]
[During the battle, Ranta's left arm was slashed open, and he screamed in pain, which also drew Moguzo's attention...]
Squelch—
[The goblin seized the chance to scratch Moguzo's forehead, and blood trickled down the side...]
[The two were about to retreat when they heard Merry's roar...]
["Don't even think about retreating because of a minor injury like this! Aren't you warriors?"]
[If you're warriors, fight to the end!]
[This is a life-and-death battle, not some petty skirmish!]
[Merry's words spurred the two on. Though afraid of getting injured, they still charged forward!]
[—En garde—]
[Ranta moved swiftly, splitting the goblin's chest with his sword!]
[Moguzo mustered all his strength to press down the goblin's sword before him!]
[—Sieg—]
Thud—
[The goblin's head gushed blood and was directly crushed by the sword...]
[—Shadow Dash—]
[Shihoru focused her magic and blasted a dark purple energy sphere at the goblin!]
[The goblin's eyes went blank, and Haruhiro seized the moment for a backstab!]
[The dagger plunged into the back of its neck, ending its life...]
[The battle concluded... Only then did Merry heal the two of them...]
[Screen Continues]
Manato: "Now I can rest easy. I should have let them become independent long ago. I realized it too late..."
If not for his mother-henning earlier, perhaps they would have grown stronger by now!
Ainz: "A wise choice. Their combat coordination looks much better."
Shiroe: "Reasonable cooperation is key to victory. Don't do anything that puts the healer in danger!"
[On Screen]
[Haruhiro began contemplating what the team was missing. Leveraging their respective professions, they kept harvesting goblins...]
[That night, they also learned about Merry from her former teammates...]
[She used to be very cheerful. If her teammates were even slightly injured, she'd rush to heal them...]
[However, one day, they encountered a goblin monster called a 'Dead Spot' on the fifth floor!]
[In the first battle, they lost many. Merry also exhausted her magic early and couldn't heal anymore. Her teammates died in her arms...]
[This incident left a shadow in her heart. Since then, as long as the injury wasn't serious, she wouldn't heal immediately...]
[Screen Continues]
"That woman... So Merry went through something like that?..."
Ranta's eyes widened. He hadn't expected her to have such a past.
She seemed so much like Manato...
Could it be that they had been wrong all along? That it was their overly comfortable lifestyle that led to Manato's death? ...
"Ranta... Please be more polite when speaking to her from now on..."
Haruhiro patted his shoulder, giving him a meaningful look.
"So annoying! I'll reflect on it!"
Though reluctant, Ranta still nodded!
They truly needed to change their attitudes!
"Ranta can actually reflect?!"
Moguzo's eyes widened as if he'd heard something unbelievable...
"Moguzo... you..."
Ranta turned his head away proudly, ignoring the two.
Wasn't it just an apology!
A true man knows when to yield!
Besides, he was the Dark Knight!
[On Screen]
[In the ruins, Haruhiro confessed to her that there had been a priest in the team before...]
[But he was no longer here. They used to rely on him heavily...]
[But now they realized he had been carrying too much, yet it was too late. He was everyone's most important companion...]
[Haruhiro looked at Merry seriously and said, "I think Merry is also a companion..."]
[One by one, everyone agreed... Merry's closed heart began to open...]
[After that, their cooperation grew increasingly seamless... They were even called by the Volunteer Corps...]
[Goblin Slayers!]