The honored one- From commonplace to the world's strongest

Chapter 3- The Danger

"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" yelled Steve at Hiyama who flinched at Steve's anger, having been on the receiving end multiple times, and none being pleasant.

"I-I'M SORRY!"

"YOU'VE DONE IT! DISREGARDING ORDERS FROM THE ONE IN CHARGE!" Steve scolded while looking around, his eyes landing on a black circle.

"What's that?" asked Ryutarou pointing at the circle. Well, his question was answered the next moment as it glowed, and a big demonic beast with two horns as big as a person, a body as massive as a three-story building, and a face as scary as the girl from the Ring appeared.

"Everyone... run away..." Meld muttered with wide eyes.

"What? Meld san, I can help fi-"

"NO! EVEN A PARTY THAT WENT AS FAR AS THE 65TH FLOOR COULDN'T PUT A DENT IN IT! RUN WHILE I HOLD IT HERE!" Meld ordered, fear, concern, and stress evident in his voice.

As the fear-stricken students turned to run, they noticed a black circle blocking the exit.

"THERE'S A BLACK CIRCLE HERE TOO!"

By now, panic was setting into the students, as monsters started appearing.

"COME ON! IT'S JUST TRAUM SOLDIERS! WE CAN BEAT IT!" said one of the soldiers.

On the other end, Kouki attacked the Behemoth with Heavenly Swing, but it didn't affect it the slightest.

"No way! Heavenly swing didn't even make it flinch..." Kouki muttered.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GO BACK!"

"But Meld san, I can't let you fight alone!" he retaliated as Meld held the urge to facepalm.

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO THINK OF THAT!"

"Meld san Kouki, calm down," said Steve as he and Hajime appeared next to them.

"THE CLASS IS IN CHAOS! They need their leader, Kouki," said Hajime as Kouki turned to see his classmates in panic.

"You were the one who inspired them to join the war, now take the responsibility. Go back, and clear the way. As for the Behemoth, Hajime has a plan, and I'll provide support," Steve said as Hajime nodded.

"Y-yeah, thanks, Ray kun, Nagumo Kun, I'll leave that up to you both," Kouki said as he started making his way to the other side.

"Are you both sure about this?" Meld asked as Steve and Hajime nodded with a smile.

"Hehehe, I'll be trying Ox meat for the first time," Steve said with a laugh as he rained down Cursed Technique: Red onto it.

Surprisingly, this seemed to damage the Behemoth, which flinched and took a step back, Hajime went ahead and made a wall using his Transmute ability, pushing the Behemoth back.

Kouki meanwhile went back to the class to assist them with the Traum Soldiers, using his Heavenly Swing to take out multiple in one blow.

"EVERYONE! QUICK! WE NEED TO HELP STEVE AND HAJIME!" yelled Meld, as everyone looked over them to see them holding off the Behemoth, and doing it rather well.

"Whoa... to think they're doing so well against a monster so strong," muttered a classmate, as most of them were impressed by their skills, barring one, who looked at them darkly.

"STEVE! HAJIME!" yelled Kaori, worried, as they all stood in a line.

"YOU BOTH CAN FALL BACK NOW! CLASS! PREPARE TO FIRE THE SPELLS!" Meld yelled, as they nodded and started the chant.

'YES! We can make it!' thought Hajime with a grin, finally feeling confident in himself.

"Let's go, I'll destroy the bridge," said Steve as Hajime nodded.

"FIRE!" yelled Meld, as the class started firing the Fireball spell at the Behemoth, while Steve cut the bridge in half using his Cursed Technique: Red.

"NOW! START THE MYSTIC CHANT!" yelled Meld as Hajime and Steve started running back toward the class.

'We're gonna make it!' thought Hajime as a smile crawled up his face, seeing the Behemoth being pushed back by the fire spell and Steve's random Reversal reds.

However, this happiness was short-lived as he noticed a stray Fireball approaching him.

"Huh? Wait..." he muttered as he froze up, looking at the Fireball getting bigger and bigger.

But Steve wasn't paying attention as his focus was behind them, on the Behemoth. He collided with Hajime, coming to a stop as he looked at his face confused while the class just yelled for them to get out of the way.

'Oh shit,' he thought as he looked at the class while shielding Hajime. IT was then he noticed the smirk.

'Someone planned this...' he thought, with each passing second the attack closing in.

'But... it's not time for that...' he thought looking at Kaori who looked sad, and scared.

As the attack collided, he persevered through the pain as he mouthed to Kaori "Smile".

"ONII SAAAAAAN!" she screamed, tears flowing out of her eyes as she tried to reach out for them out of despair, her attempts so desperate despite knowing that they were too far, too out of reach, as she fell on her knees, held back by a crying Shizuku who muttered sorry.

Steve was feeling the searing pain in his back as he felt through the air, and holding consciousness was becoming hard for him.

"Hajime!" he yelled, as Hajime looked at him.

"Survive..." he muttered as he charged a reversal red, firing it to soften his fall, before closing his eyes and drifting into nothingness.

"STEVE!" yelled Hajime, as Steve disappeared into the darkness.

"SHIT!" yelled Hajime, as he took out a dagger and stuck it into the wall towards which Steve had pushed him, slowing his descent. His arms felt like falling off, and his muscles screamed in pain, however, only one thing was going through his mind.

'Survive'

After what felt like ages, he finally landed, his legs hitting the ground and him falling on his butt.

"AAAAAHHH! WHY!" Hajime yelled, tears streaming out of his eyes, as he remembered the bloody and battered face of Steve.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

Hajime didn't notice that his ruckus had caused a bunny to take notice of him. Only his weeks of hard work and instincts made him dodge the bunny's attempt to take him down.

"Shit... if I get hit by it, I'll be dead..." he muttered as the rabbit turned its head to attack him.

Before it could jump, however, a hand grabbed its head before completely crushing it.

"AAAAH!" Hajime yelled splattered by its blood, which flew through the air spraying over a few feet to reach him.

Hajime could only look in horror as a big bear casually ate the rabbit in front of him, not giving a single shit about his existence. Its gaze then shifted to him, as Hajime looked at it in horror, jumping back. But it was too late as his left hand had been separated from his body in an instant.

The bear picked it up, slowly and carelessly eating it, staring at Hajime.

'W-why is it taking a bite out of my arm... What do I do? Why is this happening to me?' he thought, as the desperate thought of running came into his head, while 'Survive' rang through his head.

"TRANSMUTE! TRANSMUTE! TRANSMUTE!" yelled Hajime, making the ground deform and form a cave, a cave small enough that the bear couldn't reach him.

"It's no use... I'm out of mana... am I... going to... die?"

That's when he felt something drop on his lips.

'Huh?'

He felt the flow of blood stopping, and his senses returning.

'Somebody... help'