“During the time I was gone, you’ve become quite the arrogant stray dog, haven’t you, Slather?”
“Calamity Pillar? You… you’re not dead?”
The girl’s voice echoed within the blood-red domain.
Before the Thousand-Handed Demon could recover from its terror, the Pitch-black Sledgehammer came crashing down with terrifying wind pressure.
Slather’s regenerating arms, of which it was so proud, shattered like brittle dry twigs under the weight of the hammer.
In its eyes, the massive strike was impossibly fast — there was no time to dodge.
The resulting shockwave instantly pulverized nearly half of its body into meat paste.
“Aaahhh — !”
Screams rang through the Space, for Katy brought more than just physical pain.
Slather discovered with horror that as the girl released her full aura, the flow of Mana within the domain reversed.
The life force it had plundered from those Heroes and the Mana it had accumulated over years were being continuously siphoned away by Katy, as if she were the one writing the laws of this Space.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you love your collection?”
Katy swung the massive hammer with both hands like a golf club, smashing Slather’s regenerating limbs to pieces.
“Where did all that bravado from your storytelling go, huh? I’m going to shatter every single hand in your collection, let them grow back, and then shatter them again!!”
What was happening in the Space couldn’t even be called a battle; it was more like a one-sided slaughter.
The former master of the 13th Dungeon was giving this Decapitating Demon a long-overdue lesson in workplace etiquette.
The left hammer dealt high damage, and the right hammer dealt high damage.
One minute later, Slather had been reduced to a single lump of flesh encasing its core, feebly begging for mercy.
“Spare… spare me! Lady Noctiluca! I was also forced — “
“In your next life, remember to keep your eyes peeled when looking for a job.”
Katy’s eyes were cold as she prepared to deliver the final blow.
However, just a moment before she swung the hammer, a crisp cracking sound abruptly rang out within the enclosed Space.
Katy paused and turned toward the sound.
She saw a dazzling, pale blue crack appearing on the blood-red outer wall of the Space, with thunderous light erupting from within.
‘Gray!?’ Katy’s pupils shrank.
Was this a joke?
This Space was created by her Authority!
Even though Slather had used a scroll recording her Authority to create it, no one had ever been able to forcibly break into her Authority from the outside before — not even the Demon King!
The moment the Labyrinth was torn open by the lightning, a glimmer of hope flashed in Slather’s eyes as it waited for death.
Its body instantly compressed to the extreme and then exploded.
Countless pieces of shredded flesh flew toward the spatial rift.
Although most were swallowed by the lightning, a few fragments of its core vanished without a trace.
“Tsk, you sure ran fast.”
Katy clicked her tongue in disappointment.
While she really wanted to chase Slather down and hammer it to death, it wouldn’t be good if Gray burst in and discovered her true identity.
With a thought, the massive hammer in the girl’s hand dissipated into points of light.
The terrifying pressure on her body vanished completely, and her pupils returned to a normal round shape.
Seconds later, a figure covered in blood and wreathed in lightning forced a path through the Space and rushed inside.
“Ah, Gra — “
Before Katy could fully switch back into her “weak girl” mode, she was pulled into a forceful embrace by Gray.
He held her so tightly it felt as if he wanted to meld her into his own bones and blood.
“Uh… Mr. Gray, I’m okay?”
Gray remained deaf to her words.
He simply buried his head in the crook of the girl’s neck, hungrily confirming her body heat and heartbeat. His voice was hoarse.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I failed to protect you. I thought…”
Looking at the trembling young man, Katy sighed, and her gaze instantly softened.
She didn’t know if she had triggered some kind of PTSD in him, but to prevent herself from fainting from a lack of oxygen in his arms, it was probably best to comfort the guy.
‘It’s definitely not because I’m touched that someone actually cares if I’m dead or alive for once.’
She raised her hands to return the hug, gently stroking the back of the young man’s head like one would comfort a child.
“There, there. Mr. Gray is the best teammate. Look, your Captain hasn’t even lost a single hair, see?”
***
With Slather’s escape, the Labyrinth lost the Mana supply it relied on to exist.
Katy and Gray were transported back to Valhalla.
Upon verification, the two missing Association investigators were confirmed dead.
Although they hadn’t been able to save the mission targets, Lily still settled a generous bounty and a considerable amount of Hero Points for them since they had repelled a Star Glimmer Level boss.
While Lily processed the paperwork, Gray’s gaze remained fixed on the two death reports.
Origin: Knox City, Alphen Monastery.
“They were from there too?”
The busy clerk sighed, visible sorrow in her eyes.
“Yes. Just like you, they were orphans from that monastery.”
Hearing this, the golden-haired girl’s ears perked up instantly.
‘Gray is actually an orphan? New information +1.’
“… Miss Katy, would it be convenient for you to go somewhere with me?”
Snapping back to reality, Katy nodded quickly.
Gray’s voice was so heavy it was almost a plea; she had no reason to refuse him now.
Moreover, for the sake of her undercover mission, she definitely needed to aggressively boost Gray’s favorability.
This was clearly a special event, and there was no reason not to go.
By the time they left the Association entrance, dusk was approaching.
Gray went to a flower shop to buy two bouquets of white chrysanthemums and bought a large handful of candy at a general store.
He then led Katy to a small hill on the west side of the city, where an ancient little church stood.
“This is?”
“The place where I grew up.”
As he pushed open the picket gate, a group of children playing in the yard immediately swarmed them once they saw who it was.
“Wow! Brother Gray brought candy!”
“Brother Gray, tell us more stories about fighting the Demon Race!”
“Don’t rush, everyone gets candy.”
Looking at Gray surrounded by the children, Katy was somewhat surprised.
In the eyes of these children, this young man — whom other Heroes mocked as the “Weakest Winless” — was an omnipotent hero.
A gray-haired elderly Mother in a simple habit walked out of the church.
“Oh, Gray, you haven’t visited in a long time.”
Gray stepped forward and awkwardly pulled a heavy coin purse filled with silver coins from his shirt.
It was his entire reward from the mission, plus some of his previous savings.
“Mother, this is… the pension the Association issued for those two seniors who sacrificed themselves.”
Gray lowered his head, his eyes shifting as he told a clumsy lie.
“The Association said they died heroically, so they specifically sent this money to repair the orphanage. I was just bringing it along since I was heading this way.”
The Mother froze for a moment.
She had lived for several decades and had been a Hero herself.
Even if there really were a pension, there was no way there would be this much left after going through the Association’s layers of bureaucracy.
The bag looked like it held nearly 100 silver coins — enough to support a household for over six months.
Looking at Gray’s flushed face and dodging eyes, the Mother sighed. Just as she was about to say something, the girl beside him, who had been silent until now, suddenly chimed in.
“Good evening, Mother. I am Mr. Gray’s Captain. You can call me Katy.”
Katy walked to Gray’s side at some point and pulled another purse from her pocket, placing it smilingly into the Mother’s hand.
“In addition to the pension, this is a small token from our Black Crow Squad. Mr. Gray is our greatest hero; this mission was only completed thanks to him. Please, accept it.”
Gray turned to look at Katy in surprise.
That purse contained her share of the Labyrinth bounty.
The girl winked at him and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “As the Captain, how can I let my teammate take all the spotlight?”
The Mother looked at the two of them acting in unison.
A trace of tears flickered in her cloudy eyes, and then she smiled kindly.
“Good children… May the Goddess and the Holy Maiden protect you.”