-- just as the car came to a halt, Garnett kicked the twisted door from the inside as fast as he could and dragged the bloody Luke out of the car.

'd*mn it ......!　Hey, Luke!　Dumbass ...... Why are you covering for me, why are you covering for me ...... get a grip, get a hold of yourself and get on with the [restoration]!

　No reply. Not even a hint of breathing.

　Luke was just lying there like a doll, with fresh blood pouring out of every part of his body as he was changed into his younger form.

'...... Hey. Get up. What are you doing?
I'm sorry.

　Instead, it was Helu, who had been hit by even more bullets than Luke, and whose body was covered in holes.

　A great deal of blood was dripping from his body, but there was no sign of distress on his face, and he didn't even seem to be in pain.

"As a result of your enhanced connection to Loki-sama's memories, that person has been unable to draw on the power that resides in his body.
"......!　Tehme!

　Garnett fleshed out on Helu with unseen speed, grabbing him by the collar and slamming his back into the half-destroyed automobile.

　The body of the car caved in with a roaring sound.

　Helle didn't lose the slightest bit of her calm demeanor as she was grabbed by the neck and pressed against the steel body, her flesh and blood tearing at the fractured surface of the parts.

'Don't worry. Death in this world is merely a deportation to reality. Although it was completely unplanned, nothing is lost ......
'So what!　I'll take care of it later.　There's no way you can just say "Yes, that's right"!

　The moment Garnett barked forehead to forehead with Hell, a single bullet snatched his cheek and drilled a hole in the body of the car.

　Garnett turns around, his face contorted in exasperation.

　Beyond the dim darkness after sunset, a figure - the outline of the assailant moves in a wavering manner.

　The moment the next bullet was released, Garnett immediately bent down and kicked the surface of the road, and in an instant, he was fleshed out against the attackers.

　His eyes, the only exposed eyes in his black outfit, widen in astonishment.

　A long gun turned around.

　But Garnett's reaction was far quicker, grabbing the barrel of the gun and deflecting it out of the line of fire, while at the same time slamming his full-length fist into the abdomen in front of him.

　There was a dull sound like a punch to a leather bag full of water, and the assailant's body snapped in two at an unnatural angle and collapsed down.

　The dwarven raiders behind him shouted something and fired at him.

　Garnett shields the first assailant, who is out of breath, from the gunfire, and with a momentary step, he closes in on him in time and uses the long gun he has ripped off as a club to punch his neck and break it.

　The true face underneath the mask that had shifted off from the impact was a different dwarf than Ivaldi.

　A distant, pitiful scream.

　The third - the last assailant had left behind a large firearm that had turned the car into a beehive, and had tried to escape, nearly falling over several times.

　But now Garnett didn't even try to miss it, and with a roaring cry, he jumped on its back and slammed his fist into the back of its head.

''Fu...... Fu......''

　With one look at the twitching attacker, Garnett stood up, gritting his teeth.

'On this day, it was Sigyn who lost his life.

　Helle's voice is thrown at him from behind.

　Garnett doesn't even try to turn around, his fists clenching with such force that his bones creak.

'Whether or not the attackers were sent by Evaldi ...... it was not known until the end. But there is no doubt that they were men who thought like Ivaldi.
...... not my problem.
The attempt to deprive Loki of his life has failed, and public opinion has become rather sympathetic to him, which has favoured his research. Ivaldi also expresses his condolences: ......
I don't give a f*ck!

　Garnett turned around with a shout and stared straight at Helu.

　He desperately bit down on the urge to blot out tears now, and he had prepared to shake his fist at Helu if he said a careless word - but for the first time since he came here, the Helu in question had a human expression, a hue of sadness on her face.

''I must apologize to you, my dear. I only wanted to tell Alfazul about Lady Loki's distress. The involvement of you and the reversal of your sheltered position was completely unexpected.
...... You're the gods and monsters who destroyed civilization on earth, you have no idea what you're talking about. Loki and you killed a lot of people because you spread this bitterness around!
Yes, we have done everything in our power and as much carnage as possible.

　Without seeming to take offense for a moment, Hel affirmed the fact that he had slaughtered the ancients and destroyed the ancient magical civilization.

　This seemed to be his unmistakable true intentions, but the words he continued after this seemed to be just as untrue and genuine.

''But you people are different. If the current human race is truly the descendants of Leveslasil, then it is also equal to the descendants of Lord Loki and Sigyn. A bit figuratively, no, I mean poetically.

　A hint of a smile appeared on Hel's mouth.

　The emotion in that smile seemed to be positive, rather than mockery, more like joy.

''Most divine and demonic beasts don't have any feelings that can be called loyalty to their creator Loki. It was enough for them to rampage around according to their instincts, so we focused on the number of production rather than granting them loyalty, ...... but I(...) us(...) three(...) bodies(...) are the exception.
...... What do you want me to say?

　Garnett couldn't grasp Hel's intentions and shook his head, his confusion becoming stronger than his anger.

　Then Hel gently reached out to Garnett and took a step forward.

'Compensation for causing unnecessary pain ...... or a parting gift to the descendants of Leveslasil. You may interpret it either way. Please accept this gift from me.
Gift ......?
'I am now a metaphysical pseudo-personality. I can't give you anything tangible, but I can give you information. If you are fighting with the successor of Ivaldi, I am sure it will be useful--

　A small ball of light appeared in Hel's hand.

　Prompted to receive it, Garnett picks it up with his fingertips, hesitating several times.

　Immediately afterwards, his vision is engulfed in light.

　Garnett felt his entire body melting into the light, and he intuited that he was being sent back to reality.

　The ball of light in his hand had melted into his palm before he knew it and disappeared.

　The fragments of memories that were contained in it were indeed seeping into Garnet's insides, and together they were floating back into reality.