Chapter(6)

Episode (6): Aoi Nanase (2)

SOVEREIGN OF DEATH~(6)

'Where are we...?'

Aoi's mind was in chaos and she couldn't keep up with the situation at all.

One moment she was in school and the next, well here she was in some sort of throne room.

It was all too puzzling and she was left in a daze.

Aoi could only blink in shock and silence and look around her surroundings with wonder.

She wasn't the only one in this state either.

The other students also had confused or scared faces when they realized they were no longer in the classroom.

Whatever they were thinking surely made their expressions change accordingly.

As to what those thoughts were she didn't know nor did she have the capacity to care.

Right now Aoi desperately tried to deny reality while pinching her cheeks crazily.

But she didn't wake up and was instead left with a stinging pain on her face.

Creak!

Suddenly, the huge double door to the throne room was pushed open from the outside.

Several figures came into view of which the most eye catching was the middle aged man wearing expensive and all too extravagant jewelry and a crown.

The middle aged man stepped firmly with stride that spoke unwavering confidence at the front of the group before he climbed the steps and flung his robe then sat down.

His cold eyes peered down at the heroes before him as he thought about what he planned in the feature.

A slight smile of satisfaction escaped his lips but no one noticed due to the heavy bloodlust released by the king and his knights.

What's this...this horrifying pressure?!

Aoi was also a part of the group that missed this smirk. Right now her eyes were filled with tear and she panted for air anxiously. 

She wasn't the only one.

Everyone facing this pressure felt as if they could die any second.

To them it felt as if they were constantly being strangled.

Meanwhile the knights and the king only smirked in satisfaction.

They were satisfied because the weaker they were the easier it would be for the king to control them.

He stroked his beard as he looked towards a promising future where his empire stood at the top of this continent with countless strong heroes kneeling at his feet.

But as the king glanced around he stopped on a certain boy.

'Hou'

The king glanced at the boy with slight surprise in his tone.

Seeing this, everyone including Aoi turned their gazes only to find an inconspicuous youth with bangs covering his face and circular rimmed glasses standing calmly.

He looked completely unfazed unlike the others and this piqued the kings interest.

Kanata Nagisa. 

He yawned as the king surveyed him for a short while. 

'Doesn't.....he feel....the pressure?!'

Aoi was stunned.

She was struggling to breathe along with everyone else but he was brushing off the pressure like nothing. 

Was he always like this?

She wondered inwardly.

They knew each other since they were neighbors at a very young age.

Kanata however had to move away after his father vanished into thin air like a ghost.

They were both sad to part from each other but Aoi who liked him very much promised to meet again when they were older and get married. 

Sadly enough, even though it was a common trope in movies this was real life. They didn't meet again.

Aoi still believed their promise would come true, but as the years blew by like any forgotten treasure the memory was sealed away.

It wasn't until she was in high school.

While talking to friends who came from the same middle school a boy with his bangs slightly covering his face and nerdy glasses approached her excitedly.

Aoi thought he was a stalker but when she realized who he was her heart started to beat in excitement.

Although she thought he had blue hair and golden pupils his hair was now black and his eyes couldn't be seen easily but she could see that his eyes were grey instead of golden.

She figured she had just mistaken his appearance but shrugged it off since she was happy that they reunited again.

Aoi wanted to catch up with him but an issue occurred.

Her friends, girls that were immature and only judged others based on their appearance immediately started to denounce Him.

They called him all sorts of names like nerd and creepy introvert.

As a teen herself that didn't want to be ostracized Aoi gave into the pressure and ridiculed him before chasing him off and telling him never to speak with her again.

She felt she did the right thing at the time, but Nagisa's disappointed expression made her heart shatter.

Although she didn't want to be an outcast, she realized that she really handled the situation badly back then and regretted it every time she thought back to his expression.

Deep guilt constantly ate away at Aoi every day.

It was to the point that she eventually left her friend group and no longer associated with them anymore.

When she did, she realized how selfish those girls were as they immediately started to talk behind her back.

She wanted to apologize to Nagisa but, thinking about how badly she hurt him she could only sigh at herself.

At that time she was all alone.

She thought to herself that if it was going to end up this way from the beginning she shouldn't have been so self-important and mocked herself.

All the girls began to talk about her feeling too good about herself so she doesn't associate with others, and their harassment continued.

But it was then she met Akane.

Akane, who despite the girls words became her friend without a care in the world.

Aoi was stunned that someone would willing socially ostracize themselves but she was glad to gain a single true friend.

That friend listened to her problems and gave her advice to apologize if she felt sorry.

Aoi made her up mind and wanted to apologize and make up, but then a rumor spread that he molested a girl on a train.

Aoi didn't want to believe it but the one who said it was true was her hero, Renji making her disappointed in Kanata.

She believed it as soon as Renji spoke because she didn't think he was one to lie at all.

Well, that said Kanata was indifferently standing up to the menacing pressure like it was nothing.

Even Renji was prostrated on the ground almost foaming at the mouth but Nagisa didn't even flinch.

The king looked at Nagisa for a while before pealing his gaze away and raised his hand.

As soon as he did, the guards instantly stopped releasing their murderous intent.

The heavy pressure surrounding the group vanished making it easier for them to breath.

Coughing sounds echoed as people tried to regulate their breathing and get it back under control.

Aoi clutched her chest while panting heavily with a pale face.

She thought she was going to die and was glad to finally be freed once and for all.

Taking the chance, Aoi glanced around.

They were in a huge throne room with golden flooring and magnificent chandeliers and other decorations were all gold.

She was stunned to see this extravagant hall but even more so it planted the reality that she really wasn't in her class again.

Was it some government secret experiment?

Many of them thought this way but when the king spoke it cleared the fog in their brains and gave them a detailed explanation was what was happening.

Firstly, they were all heroes.

For Aoi, she didn't know much about the concept since she didn't read manga but she knew a bit from her little brothers rambling.

This was the so called isekai.

It meant she was no in another world.

This was another fact she was unwilling to accept because it was all too sudden.

But the king didn't give them time and continued his words to tell them all that they gained power through the summoning.

This power was what they needed in order to fight the evil of this world so that humans can gain peace.

As a normal teenage girl, the prospect of fighting demons terrified Aoi.

She looked towards Renji who's eyes were shining brightly and thought that if he was fighting she would as well.

Her heart and mind was filled with nothing but love for him and she wanted to support him no matter what.

She also unconsciously realized that this was a time she had to stick by his side or she would lose her chance forever.

Just then-

'Clon* *Clon* *Clon*

The large double door with twin golden phoenixes on them opened. 

A pink haired out of this world beauty that could stand above the most beautiful models on earth walked inside the room capturing everyone's gazes with just a look.

Her phenomenal looks were just too striking for one to not want to admire this beauty with their eyes.

Renji as well looked at this girl with a gleam in his eyes. Anyone could see that he had his heart set on this beauty.

This instantly caused all the girls who admired Renji to become dissatisfied and they all held hostile expressions while looking at the girl.

Unconsciously, Aoi glanced at Nagisa to see him take a single look before glancing away.

She wondered if he wasn't interested but then shook her head.

She didn't care about a pervert that tried to molest an innocent girl. Rather she'd much rather understand Renji's thoughts than a pervert. 

The princess then began to speak and it was the same word as the king had said before but this time all the boys agreed instantly.

The girls shook their heads and Aoi was no different.

Soon the talk of a 'Status' came into play confusing everyone.

Aoi raised and brow but still did as she was told and was shocked.

[Aoi Nanase – (Lv.1)]

[Class– Saint]

[Trait – Holy Magic (S+)]

[Mana–100/100]

"Skills"

[Healing (D)] [Barrier (D-)] [Cure (D)]

Sa..int?

She was completely dumbfounded that something like this was actually exist.

She tried to touch it but her hand passed right through it startling her. Looking around she could see that she wasn't the only one with shocked and surprised expressions.

But a saint?

It didn't sound like a combat class and as far as she could see she didn't have combat skills either.

She wondered if it was okay but it was already time for them to announce their classes aloud.

First was Renji.

He of course was a hero, just as all the girls expected.

The king praised him causing the girls to all have dreamy eyes as if they couldn't wait for him to take them.

Aoi smiled as well because she was happy for him.

Even if he hadn't been the hero she would still consider him her hero.

One by one all the students announced their classes.

Aoi was also praised and the king seemed even more delighted with her class than with anyone else' which made her stunned.

But immediately after she glanced at Renji because it meant she could support him with her strength and get closer to him.

After that, the last on the list was Kanata Nagisa.

His class was a chef.

The moment he said this all the students laughed. The king's expression contorted to rage and the princess was confused.

The confused princess looked to her father seeking and the answer, but what the king did surprised everyone.

He immediately ordered Kanata to be executed.

This quick execution order left everyone startled as no one knew how to respond.

It was so extreme that Aoi thought she was hearing things.

Unfortunately, the king didn't seemed to be joking at all.

A powerful killing intent surged making everyone freeze as the king shouted with all his rage.

The guards to confident strides towards Nagisa without a hint of hesitation in their action and struck the moment they surrounded him.

Everyone was too shocked and terrified to say anything.

This was another world. If they weren't to the kings liking they would be sentenced to death in an instant.

This thought made everyone shut up and watch as they all thought with pity that he was going to die.

Nagisa had no one to blame but his own weakness.

This was the only thought they could use to console themselves at this moment.

But they were all dumbfounded as the next moment Nagisa not only evaded death at the hands of the knights but he killed them all like helpless chickens.

Kanata?

This was Kanata Nagisa they all knew?

He was like a completely different person that they recalled.

His nerdy aura was completely gone and was replaced with a bloodthirsty aura that said he had no qualms to kill anyone that pissed him off.

Aoi's face turned pale as she saw her former childhood friend spilling blood so easily.

They no longer associated with each other but she felt sad seeing him kill people and felt like he was just gaining unnecessary karma.

She decided in her heart to stop him and was sure he would listen because they were once childhood friend.

She was confident that he would give her words some thought.

Believing in her value as a childhood friend, she was about to step out righteously but was stopped by a shout.

Renji shouted with an indignant tone at Nagisa for ruthlessly killing people.

Nagisa looked at Him in annoyance and shouted back threateningly causing all the girls to instantly flare up at him.

Even Aoi who was supposed to help him unconsciously glared.

Nagisa shrugged as if it didn't matter and began to ignore Renji at once.

Aoi frowned thinking Renji only said it out of concern but to just brush him off like that, she really wanted to strangle Nagisa at the moment.

Still, she wanted to help but had already lost her chance and could only step back.

The next moment, an arrow out of nowhere.

As though he had an extra pair of eyes in the back of his head Nagisa parried with precision and calm unlike a normal teen.

One after the other arrows were shot in quick succession but he had easily dealt with them all.

'I guess he was fine after all'

Aoi thought with a sigh, but the next situation stunned her.

Nagisa fell to the floor without warning.

She couldn't understand why he would suddenly fall down but Nagisa's earlier movements made it hard for her to believe he would make the mistake of tripping over something.

Plus the only thing for him to trip over was air and Aoi was sure that even an idiot wouldn't trip over air.

But she was worried because of the dangerous look in the girls eyes.

Her entire body was stiff when she tried to move and she was trembling.

This, she quickly recognized this feeling.

She was terrified.

Of course she was, who wouldn't be.

In such a constantly dangerous situation who's to say she wouldn't die the moment she stood out.

Just looking at the corpses made her panic and feel like death was around the corner if she helped him.

But for some reason she really really wanted to help Nagisa.

She didn't know what this feeling was but her heart felt uneasy.

Aoi gritted her teeth and looked up, but as the same time she looked up she locked eyes with the girl and her entire body went cold.

As soon as she looked into Code 02's eyes she felt an unknown cold feeling she had never felt before.

Aoi fell to her knees in horror while trembling in fear.

She couldn't do a thing.

If she made even the slightest move to help she would die.

It was then that a ray of light shone brightly and a Valkyrie appeared before sentencing Nagisa to the dungeon of death.

Just judging by the name anyone could tell it wasn't a place that someone from the peaceful planet earth could survive easily.

She took out a beautiful crystal and threw it before Kanata the moment he was subdued.

She looked at the helpless figure with helplessness in her eyes.

Even though they were on bad terms Nagisa never once badmouthed her, he never showed a hint of hatred or anger.

Instead he would sometimes gaze softly at her.

Aoi saw the crystal light up in tandem with the magic circle and knew that if it activated she would never see him again.

'Ah, that's right. We haven't fulfilled the promise yet have we?'

Aoi called out with all the hope in her voice. Her fear was gone and she just felt as if she didn't want to lose this person.

She reached out desperately and tried to rush over, but Renji held her back. Renji shook his head at Aoi who continuously struggled but Renji didn't give her a chance at all.

She could only watched as the light enveloped Nagisa and his figure was no longer anywhere to be seen.

Her heart ached with an unknown feeling like never before.

'No, what have I done...Kanata'

Emptiness filled her heart and the overwhelming sense of loss forced tears out of her like a gushing stream.

[Aoi....]

A warm embraced came from behind with a familiar tone.

It was Akane.

Aoi looked into the understanding eyes of her best friend and could only escape the pain by mourning with her tears.