After Shiro disappeared mysteriously, because of Ash's guess, Ariel didn't worry too much. Instead, she started dealing with the situation at the scene together with him.
Of course, the current situation wasn't that serious.
There were only some strangely shaped robots and tanks around.
For ordinary humans of this world, these machines might have been nightmares that were extremely difficult to deal with, but for Ash and Ariel, they weren't a problem at all.
Working together, the two of them cleaned up most of the mechanical creations.
Afterward, using his magic detection, Ash successfully found the central control room. It was obviously managed by an artificial intelligence. After searching around for a while, he unexpectedly found... blueprints.
They included not only weapons and mechanical soldiers, but even blueprints for the spaceship and the octopus machine. They also contained their names and some related information.
The spaceship was called the G-Fleet.
The GMA bomb carried inside it really was a means of mutual destruction. Under normal circumstances, if it was going to be dropped, the spaceship would first fly outside the planet to avoid being caught in the blast.
But in emergencies, the GMA bomb would still be deployed.
That included situations where the G-Fleet had been shot down, or when confronting True Dragons, because it had originally been designed as a weapon against dragons.
Although its destructive power was only enough to destroy a continent, that was nowhere near enough to injure a dragon. Only by blowing up the entire planet would there be any hope of injuring an adult dragon.
But that was only a hope.
Trying to kill a dragon with a planet-destroying bomb simply wasn't realistic.
"What an unrealistic design. And... because the enemy was too strong, this thing never had a chance to be used. In the end, it could only be used to threaten its own side. I never expected that pulling the spaceship down on instinct would accidentally trigger the self-destruct mode."
Looking at the blueprints, Ash sighed helplessly. He hadn't expected that dragging the spaceship down on instinct would accidentally activate its self-destruct mode.
The many-legged machine that looked like an octopus was called the G Meteorite.
It was a strategic destruction weapon capable of drawing an asteroid located outside the planet, between its two moons, and throwing it toward the planet.
Its destructive power was great enough to inflict devastating damage on the planet's ecosystem and civilization.
"The designer of all this crazy stuff really was that lunatic scumbag Potimas."
After searching around herself, Ariel, who was leaning beside him, quickly found the designer's information in the notes on the blueprints. Her face immediately filled with overwhelming disgust toward the designer.
Seeing that, Ash couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Although Potimas had an appallingly terrible personality, there was no denying that his abilities were flawless.
He was undoubtedly a genius mad scientist.
His design philosophy and technical skill had even surpassed the civilization of the old era by a wide margin.
He should have been the kind of person capable of changing the world.
Unfortunately, he had used his talents to create these terrifying weapons of destruction.
The two silently put away the blueprints, then tidied up the area a little more, carefully checking whether there was anything else they could make use of.
After finishing everything, they temporarily left.
They planned to find a suitable opportunity to bring the underground base and the spaceship under the Demon Race's control before repairing the ship.
After all, this time the spaceship had only been dragged down.
It hadn't actually been shot down by an enemy.
Perhaps after repairs, both strategic weapons could once again fly into space for their use.
———
The two had just left the enormous crater when they heard the sound of beating wings.
The roar was like a gale, making the air tremble slightly.
Then they saw a giant pterosaur-like creature flying toward them aggressively.
This wind dragon was obviously the strongest among the dragons ruling this wasteland.
Its enormous body blocked out the sunlight.
Every flap of its wings stirred violent gusts that carried sand and stones toward them.
It landed directly in front of them.
The moment it touched the ground, dust billowed into the air.
Then it angrily shouted at Ariel, "My god! You damn spider! What the hell are you doing? I was generous enough to let you pass through here, and this is how you repay me? Causing trouble all over my territory! You'd better explain yourselves! Otherwise, I won't let you off so easily!"
"Why does this guy sound like some street thug? He even talks like a translated movie. I thought dragons were supposed to have more backbone?"
Sitting on the edge of the cliff, Ash turned to Ariel with a curious look.
"Among dragons, only earth dragons really have backbone. As for the others... they're all over the place."
Ariel lightly jumped onto Ash's shoulder and sat down.
She glanced sideways at the threatening wind dragon and said coldly, "If you don't want to die, stay away from me. Or have you already decided you want to die?"
"Hah? Try laying a finger on me! My boss won't just sit there and do nothing!"
After being threatened by Ariel, the wind dragon immediately lost some of its momentum.
Still, it put on a brave face and brought up its backer, either to encourage itself or to scare Ariel away.
But...
"Scram."
Ariel had no interest in dealing with it.
She couldn't even be bothered to waste another word.
While the wind dragon was still waving its claws around and bluffing, she suddenly threw a punch.
A sonic boom rang out.
The wind dragon instantly turned into a shooting star, streaking into the sky before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After that, the two completely ignored what had happened to it.
They leisurely drank together and quietly waited for quite a long time.
Then, all of a sudden, a giant cocoon appeared out of nowhere in front of them.
The cocoon gave off a familiar aura.
Ash and Ariel immediately realized that it had to be Shiro.
They simply couldn't understand how she could still evolve when she should already have reached the limit of her evolution.
But this wasn't the time to break open the cocoon to check.
So Ash directly used Spatial Transfer to send both the cocoon and Ariel back to the Demon Lord's Castle.
After finishing all that, Ash felt it was about time to set off for the human kingdom again.
He entrusted Ariel and her girl puppets with looking after the cocoon.
"She... really won't be okay, right?"
Although Ariel silently nodded in agreement, she looked at the cocoon with obvious worry.
It was clear that seeing Shiro swallow the bomb had left her unable to relax.
Seeing her like that, Ash unconsciously crouched beside her, smiled, and gently patted her head.
"Don't worry. What could possibly happen to her? Her greatest strength is probably how hard she is to kill."
"That's true... Shiro's really unbelievably strange. Once she comes out, I'm definitely going to lecture her and tell her to stop eating random things."
Ariel smiled bitterly and shook her head.
Then she looked at Ash with a bit of dissatisfaction, "And you too... Can you stop touching my hair whenever you feel like it? I'm not a child..."
"When something this strange happens to your friend, someone with your personality is bound to feel uneasy. I'm comforting you. How is that 'touching your hair whenever I feel like it'?"
"Really? That's comforting me?"
"Of course."
"But... doesn't comforting someone normally mean giving them a hug? That's what you said."
Her cheeks reddened slightly as she replied with a hint of mischief, one eye half-closed.
"Sure."
Ash laughed and opened his arms.
"So it really is okay... Though actually, compared to a hug, there's something else I'd rather do."
As soon as Ariel finished speaking, a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
She suddenly pounced on Ash, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and forcefully kissed him.
The kiss was urgent and possessive.
She was so forceful that one of her sharp fangs accidentally cut his lip.
After a long while, the two separated.
Ariel's cheeks were as red as ripe apples.
Yet she smugly wiped the corner of her mouth and snickered proudly,
"Hehe~ This really is what you should do at a time like this~"
"Don't you care about the time, the place, or the situation at all?"
Ash helplessly wiped the blood from his lip.
Ariel replied unconcernedly, "It's fine. She doesn't know~ Or rather, if she were still conscious, she'd probably have rushed out already."
"What if she comes out on instinct?"
"Then I'll leave it to you~"
Ariel cheerfully dumped the problem onto him.
Ash licked the cut on his lip before pinching her delicate cheeks.
"More importantly, shouldn't you explain something? Fine, a kiss is a kiss, but why did you bite me too?"
"I couldn't help it~ I don't have any experience. But you, why do you seem so experienced? I'm already embarrassed, yet you still look completely at ease."
What had started as Ash questioning her suddenly turned into Ariel launching a counterattack after noticing something.
She narrowed her eyes, studying him carefully.
Ash immediately had a bad feeling.
He quietly took two steps backward, "R-Right! I need to leave immediately! If I'm delayed and something changes, that'll be bad!"
"Hah? What could possibly change? Besides, you don't—Ahh?"
Before Ariel could finish speaking, Ash took advantage of her distraction and lightly kissed her soft lips.
It was only a brief touch, as light as a dragonfly skimming the surface of water.
Yet Ariel unconsciously widened her eyes, standing there in a daze.
"See you!"
Ash seized the opportunity and immediately escaped using Spatial Movement.
Only Ariel remained behind.
Touching her lips unwillingly, she looked in the direction where Ash had disappeared, wearing an expression that was both shy and resentful.
"That pervert! Using something like that on a girl... I definitely won't let this go. Next time he comes back, I'll..."
She kept muttering to herself, completely forgetting that she had been the one who kissed him first, and Ash had only returned the favor.
But it was obvious that being kissed by Ash in return had left a far stronger impression on her than when she had kissed him herself.
———
The current Hero was still the same one Ash had met before.
His name was Julius Zagan Analeit.
However, after all these years, he had already grown from a child into a young man.
Throughout those long years, he had walked an extremely difficult path.
From a very young age, battle had followed him wherever he went.
Even so, he had never given up on the Hero's duty.
Because of that, Ash actually didn't want to make a move against him.
Deep down, he admired Julius quite a bit.
Unfortunately, reality left him no room to hesitate.
Under the current circumstances, there was no one more suitable than himself to handle this matter.
The Hero's duty meant Julius could never ignore Ariel's actions.
In that unavoidable conflict, someone naturally had to be sacrificed.
Although there were methods such as sealing and turning someone into gold, once things reached the later stages, for the sake of maintaining the system, or rather, for Sariel to protect the native lifeforms, it was entirely possible that the Hero title would be transferred directly while the Demon Lord was carrying out a massacre.
To avoid being caught off guard, it was naturally better to prepare in advance and delete the Hero title first.
Thus, Ash returned to where everything had begun.
There, he saw the wind dragon that Ariel had taught a lesson earlier, which had now returned.
The wind dragon was rubbing its head with a depressed expression, seemingly still unable to recover from what had happened.
Ash simply warned it not to let anyone else approach the place.
The wind dragon, however, seemed to ignore him, continuing to stand there in a daze.
Without another word, Ash smacked it on the head again.
The blow left the wind dragon sprawled on the ground.
While tearfully complaining about its bad luck and grumbling that it had been beaten twice in a single day, it still obediently, and unwillingly, agreed because of Ash's overwhelming strength.
Although Ash found the wind dragon rather speechless, he had no time to care.
There were more important matters waiting.
Following the information Ariel had given him, he immediately headed for the royal capital of the Kingdom of Analeit.
———
Like every other human city in this world, the capital possessed neither barriers nor magical defensive measures.
Ash entered it as though walking through an empty place.
Walking slowly through the streets, he soon spotted his target, the Kingdom of Analeit's second prince, Julius Zagan Analeit.
Just as Ash had expected, Julius had grown from the child he once was into a handsome young man.
He stood tall with upright features, giving off the unmistakable air of a righteous hero.
Beside him stood a woman carrying a staff and wearing a green headscarf.
Judging from her appearance and bearing, she was clearly a religious figure.
She was the Saint, Yaana.
The two were accompanied by a blond young man carrying a tower shield.
He was teasing the Saint with a cheerful smile.
He was Hyrince, the duke's second son and Julius's childhood friend.
The three stood together in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
Like the closest of friends, they chatted leisurely in the street, laughing together.
It was enough to warm anyone's heart.
However, the pleasant atmosphere didn't last long.
Walking at the front, Julius suddenly stopped.
He slowly raised his head to look at the cloudy sky.
A worried expression appeared on his face as he quietly muttered,
"Come to think of it... under the current Demon Lord's rule, the demons have become more and more active these past few years. Especially this year, they've been rapidly expanding their military. I really hope they don't start a war."
"Julius, I know you don't like war, but humans and demons are mortal enemies. This battle was always going to happen sooner or later. Honestly, the fact that things have only become this tense now is already pretty fortunate," Hyrince spoke helplessly.
It was hard to tell whether he was comforting Julius or simply stating a cruel fact.
"That's true... If war could be avoided, that would naturally be best. But if the demons intend to trample our peace, then we have no choice but to fight back."
Julius spoke with a heavy expression.
To be honest, he was deeply uneasy.
But as humanity's hope, as the Hero, he couldn't show that unease.
He could only lower his head and turn all his worries into a heavy sigh.
After all, humanity still had some advantages when dealing with monsters.
Most monsters, except dragons and high-level monsters, couldn't use skills, and they lacked sufficient intelligence.
But none of those advantages mattered against demons.
Like humans, demons excelled at using all kinds of skills.
They also possessed intelligence no less than humanity's.
One could even say that, aside from fertility, they surpassed humans in every respect.
It was impossible for him not to feel anxious.
To change the mood, Julius decided to continue the promise the three of them had made and head to a nearby restaurant for a hearty meal.
Then, without any warning, he suddenly felt that something had appeared.
Within his spiritual world, it was as though someone had thrown a massive bomb into the surface of a calm lake.
Some strange existence had entered the range of his awareness.
Instinctively following that unusual feeling, he looked ahead.
At the opposite end of the street, he saw a figure.
It was a man standing on the border between youth and adulthood.
The scar that had once marked his face had completely healed.
An overwhelming and strangely unsettling presence radiated from his body.
That aura was so intense that it was impossible not to become alert.
Of course, even without that chilling sensation, Julius would still have recognized him.
Because he could never forget this unprecedented enemy... a being like a nightmare.
"Julius, what's wrong?"
Noticing her companion suddenly stop, Yaana finally emerged from their relaxed conversation.
She instinctively followed Julius's gaze.
At first glance, she noticed the young man calmly walking down the street toward them.
That strange atmosphere filled her with unease.
She unconsciously grabbed Julius's clothes and nervously asked, "Who is... that person? Someone you know?"
"He is... the Primordial Demon..."
Julius slowly spoke those words, his voice low and grave.
Yaana's eyes widened in terror.
"The Primordial Demon? D-Don't tell me..."
"That's right... The one who killed tens of thousands of allied soldiers with a single blow in the Keren Territory thirteen years ago... was him..."
Julius confirmed in a heavy voice that this was the terrifying existence he had once spoken about with his companions.
He had never imagined that after so many years, this man would still look exactly the same as when they first met.
That terrifying aura hadn't weakened in the slightest.
If anything, it was even stronger than before.
Hyrince's expression instantly turned serious.
Without hesitation, he raised his shield and stepped in front of Julius and Yaana.
The carefree smile disappeared from his face, replaced by tightly furrowed brows and a sharp stare fixed on Ash.
He shouted, "What do you want?"
"Don't worry. I don't have any ill intentions... Ah, no."
Ash had only just spoken before unconsciously shaking his head, taking back his own words.
Spreading his hands, he admitted frankly, "Alright. Actually, I came to kill the Hero... if necessary."
"What do you mean, 'if necessary'?", Julius instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes full of caution.