Waking up early from an unfamiliar bed, I turned on the television in the corner of the dormitory to browse briefly.

Static crackled through the screen, no shows aside from the harsh white noise.

"No a single channel at all?"

Suddenly, words appeared on the black screen, "Yesterday, the Eastern Isolation Wall of the West Alliance collapsed. If there are survivors, please call for rescue..."

Certain residents in the dormitory were shocked, losing their composure and shouting, "How can this be happening? I thought it was over? What about my parents?"

"Yukari," someone whispered.

Just as I was about to speak, a realization struck me.

"Ha, how foolish of me. I forgot..."

My voice, now back to its usual calmness, hinted at my resignation and self-mockery.

"I have no family left."

An address appeared on the TV screen: Elena Shelter, the last sanctuary for humankind.

As another scorching summer approached, just when the summer vacation seemed near, the school suddenly announced the postponement of the campus festival to this day, leaving us in a difficult situation...

"Ahh!"

On the field, a group of high school sophomores from the soccer team lay asleep in the shade.

Alas, I had now entered the darkest depths of despair in life, facing an irreversible abyss because...

"Why is this happening?"

I struggled to drag a boy who had fainted among squirrel puppets into the medical room, but with his final breath, he pleaded with me.

"Please!!"

As I turned to leave, the boy mustered all his strength to grab my hand and begged me with his last breath.

"Young man, our crucial mission is now entrusted to you... (or something like that)"

In any case, I accepted everything, and I had to complete all that could be done!

So much had happened in these two days, I never expected that Elena, from whom I had just escaped so arduously, would willingly return on her own.

"What a silly boy, mistaking the toilet at this age!" (Boy)

"Yeah, are you trying to sneak a peek inside?" (Boy)

"Wow, so perverted!" (Girl)

I was just that sloppy and unpopular.

Now that I had left the alliance army, I was no different from an ordinary thug!

"Even so, do you really need scum like me?"

I couldn't believe their words, especially since they were the ones behind those destructive experiments - Elena!

Yet, they had crossed mountains and valleys to find me, which indicated it wasn't easy.

"What is it?"

A man wearing a gray wolf mask, accompanied by a group of men in black, approached me, followed closely by a pair in black suits.

They stood in front of me, looking far from ordinary folks coming for a chat.

I halted and glanced up at the neon sign—it was the apartment tower where I lived.

"No need to say, I understand, I understand!"

Pretending not to notice them, I prepared to walk past.

"Oh, by the way, almost forgot to mention something to you."

I deliberately feigned ignorance and then shared my current status with them without reservation.

"I already have my own team and teammates. If you’re looking for someone to put their lives on the line, find someone else!"

I pretended not to see, but those people couldn’t possibly pretend not to see me. Since they found me, they wouldn't let me go easily!

It was late at night already, the residents of the building and the nearby residents had already gone to bed since the government announced the energy-saving message. The streetlights had not been lit again at night, and even vehicles dared not travel on the road.

"Are you Tsubaki Juxi in person?"

The leader, a masked man, looked like he was ready to fight me to the end. He must have known everything about me to have such confidence.

"So, how did you find your way here? This is clearly the territory of the Alliance Army. Weren’t you afraid to intrude, Elena?"

"We're not afraid, that's why we say don't easily trust the people around you… not even your closest allies!"

He gently took off his mask, revealing a face that surprised me greatly, of course, I would only be surprised if I didn’t know anything.

"Oh, do you even have the value that makes us worry so much?"

"And you are?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, I'm so sad, my friend. You forgot about me so soon?"

Under that wolf mask was actually…!!

"Is that so, I don't remember having a brother who speaks for others."

I walked past Yuanhui without looking back, but his two men in black blocked my way, looking like they were ready to fight me to the death.

But he still remembered my existence. Could it be…?

"My friend, have you regained your memory?"

"Hehe, you still love doubting others so much, Shura. Don't you think it's a pity that the Hope Badge hasn't brought out its full power on you?"

He placed a hand on my shoulder, as if threatening me.

"Do you know? It's a waste of a good thing!"

"Hey, are you here to talk to me... or to fight?"

I had a very strong aversion to Yuanhui, feeling that he was up to no good.

After all these years, he finally came, still provoking me in this manner, looking for trouble?

"No, fighting in the safe zone will make you a public enemy. I just want to remind you of something."

"Oh?"

I became very interested, if that was the case, then I should still have a third option.

"The third option is..."

Yuanhui reached out to me with an extremely greedy expression.

"Surrender the Hope Badge, and you can go live the life of those so-called happy common people. How about that?"

"..."

We both fell into a stalemate, what he said made sense, although it was uncomfortable to hear, it was a very realistic proposal.

"Consider it. Now is the time of human warfare, our positions will determine the course of events, do you understand?"

"Hehehe...!"

I stopped pretending to be ignorant, because this time I truly understood, but my understanding was different from what he had in mind.

So that’s it, I finally understood why the Alliance Army was no match for them. It seemed that Elena was more than just a pharmaceutical conglomerate!

The battle between the Phantom God and the Evil Entity has been going on for a persistent two years. The humans have repelled the onslaught of Evil Entities more than twenty times. Each battle has come at a great cost, you know?

"...I know."

"Fool, if you know, why do you still pretend to be indifferent?!"

Yuanhui, with wide-eyed anger, inexplicably stepped forward and viciously punched me, but unfortunately, his force had no effect on me.

"Don't we have the Phantom God?"

I gently flicked away his fist with my index finger, showing no concern on my face.

"Besides, are the Evil Entities as scary as humans?"

"Uh... about that..."

This time he was at a loss for words, perhaps he, unlike me, didn't know who he had already sacrificed for.

---

"Welcome to the last haven of humanity. Elena will usher in a new era for humanity. This is the Epoch City we have opened in the quarantined area!"

Edward warmly introduced me to the colossal fortress towering three hundred yards high, truly a breathtaking feat of engineering!

"If you want to take a look, there's always time, but after now, I won't have any... Anyway, follow me for now!"

"Yes."

"Um... hey, you two, keep up with me too."

I had only taken a few steps when I noticed the two girls beside me had stayed behind, admiring the grandeur of the city walls. They received a warning from Edward.

"Don't treat this place as some kind of paradise... No, the city may be a paradise, but the land you're standing on is still outside the city. Understand that."

Edward's gaze suddenly became stern, and his expression didn't seem like he was joking.

His dedication to Elena was certainly evident, building such a massive fortress.

Countless cities floated in the air, and airships shuttled between these buildings, making it hard to imagine such a sight on Earth.

Under the protection of hundreds of Elena's heavy armored mercenaries, we walked from the outside shipyard into the city.

The entire city wall slowly began to rise. The appearance of Elena was truly incredible, as time passed slowly, the brass-colored walls gradually lifted.

"Be aware, there are three walls in total here, and we must open all of them to pass through, just like every other time...(interrupted)"

"Huh? Is it necessary to go through all this trouble?"

The two girls I brought immediately interrupted.

"No, it is necessary!"

Edward gestured gracefully as he introduced us to the carriage.

"Initially, we only had one layer of walls, but they were destroyed..."

Edward placed his arm somewhat sorrowfully on the window of the carriage.

"At that time, even though there was only one wall, the population was about five times what it is now. Most of them sacrificed themselves in the battle with the Evil Entity, and of course, many civilians died at the hands of the Evil Entity."

They have always been more efficient in this regard compared to those governments; at least they have achieved it!

Rather than covering up their own ugliness with lies to deceive their own kind, Elena values doing things solidly and honestly.

"Simply obeying fate is not enough for humans. You also have something to wait for, don't you?"

"Yes, I agree with what Edward said, but I am not as pessimistic as he thought."

"Oh, uh... Sir, the door is open!"

"Well, thank you for your hard work."

After the condolences were over, the car drove smoothly into the town.

"I would like to introduce you to the rules here, first of all, you cannot use competence in front of others... (interrupted again)"

"I'm really sorry about that, I happen to not know how to use it, of course... nor can I use that ability!"