Chapter 45: The S-class Esper’s Arrival

“Who?”

“We have yet to identify, sir.”

The man clutched the communication device, and this time, it cracked and was destroyed.

On the battlefield, a man holding a long sword narrowed his eyes, looking up at the colossus monster, which looked like a three-headed bear. Its eyes glinted with red, saliva dripping from its mouth.

And yet, the man did not look worried in the slightest and instead looked more pissed.

“Pests like you aren’t welcome here.” He frowned and unsheathed his sword from its scabbard. Its sharpness glared, and countless pupils appeared on the surface of the blade.

With the opening of the eyes, black mana emerged within the blade. He lifted his sword and pointed it at the cold beast.

“I can’t have anyone destroying this place, or the leader will kill me.” Saying that, his face twitched, and he was immediately reminded of his mission.

“Protect him at all costs.”

His grip around the hilt tightened, and his face became determined. When the cold beast roared once more, the man’s figure disappeared and went running towards it.

The fight between the two began.

The sudden turn of events was immediately noticed by the espers over the wall. Just as they thought that a possible death had come, an S-class esper had arrived.

“Who, Who’s that?”

“Wait… let me see.” One esper who could see from afar stepped up. Of course, not just him; others who had the same abilities or capabilities also tried their best to watch and identify the newcomer.

“That’s…”

Someone exclaimed from the crowd, pointing at a distance.

“Renji! Renji Kanzaki!”

As soon as the name was uttered, the murmurs became louder. There was also the sigh of relief that spread to the whole stronghold.

A famous S-class esper arrived to help them. For what was the reason he was here? No one had the mind to think that far enough yet. What was more important was that they now had a greater chance to get through this cold beast’s tide.

Renji Kanzaki’s arrival boosted the plummeting morale. Since there was now an esper that could fight the big boss that arrived, the offensive returned.

They began to gather the first and second defense lines and prepared the mana guns, which now had several espers shifting to operate.

The A-class espers also returned to engage with the A-class espers further back in the tide. Others were fighting the lower ranks.

With boosted morale, they were more efficient and finally saw the light of survival.

At the top of the government building, the man in charge of this stronghold donned his combat suit.

“Si, Sir?”

“What? Everyone’s fighting. And I will too.”

Renji Kanzaki. Just by his appearance alone, everyone’s fighting spirit had ignited, and the front lines were moving faster. This was how S-class espers were important, not just for their combat power, but for the security and assurance their presence provided.

The same was true for the 58-year-old A-class Esper, Donovan, the Red Zone #21 stronghold commander.

The impact of the fight from afar could still be felt intensely in the stronghold. The espers had decided not to go near it as the cold beast around the fight’s vicinity was being implicated and killed by the impact alone.

“To think it’s Renji.” The man had suspicions, but he never thought of Renji Kanzaki. In fact, even as the S-class esper was now fighting, he still found it very surprising.

“Isn’t he very reclusive? I heard he was last seen in the East Forbidden Zone three years ago.”

Renji was an independent S-class esper, without dealings with any of the main organizations or private companies. And he was not considered a mercenary either, as he did not take up commissions.

It was as though he were only fighting aimlessly. He did participate in dungeon raids sometimes. In other words, where he would appear next was very unpredictable.

The man settled on his seat and finally became relieved and closed his aching eyes. “Whatever his purpose, I don’t care. Just be happy we’re not going to hell yet.”

His partner laughed. “You have ways of saying things, but I agree.”

Everyone did not doubt one bit; this stronghold would survive this snowstorm.

“We’re saved!” Lucian exaggeratedly hugged Ayen and Nolan once they heard that a well-known S-class esper had appeared.

With the height of his emotions, he did not even mind that they only knew each other for a day, excluding the three-day journey.

Ayen also gave in; his mind was actually too chaotic to even care at this point. The stone pressing on his chest quickly dropped, and his breathing became smooth again.

For a moment, the three… No, everyone in the lobby was all calming down; some even wept and collapsed to the ground. The intense shadow of death that gripped them for hours finally loosened.

“I’m curious. Why is he in this zone? Or did he just pass by?” Nolan was back again to being curious. Given the situation, he might prefer talking more to lessen the tension that had curbed them earlier.

“Maybe he just passed by,” Lucian guessed.

“What do you think, Ayen?” Nolan turned to him and asked.

Ayen always noticed that Nolan had always wanted to include him in the conversation. If it were the Ayen before he met the two espers, he might ignore him and not respond.

“He might be here for another purpose,” Ayen mumbled.

His answer quickly piqued the interest of the two.

“Why do you think so?”

“What purpose?”

Ayen almost sighed; talking with others was always tiring. But since he decided to try from here on, he continued.

“I don’t know. I’m not familiar with Renji Kanzaki.” Ayen had certainly heard this name before, but not much, since the person himself was not fond of attention.

“I think that because… he’s known for being a recluse. He’s not one to save a stronghold out of obligation as an esper.” Ayen had truly thought so. “He’s probably been here since earlier, watching and only appears when the situation turns worse. It doesn’t look like a coincidence.”

Of course, that was merely a guess, and he might be projecting his own thoughts onto this as well. However, it was true that there was no news about Renji fighting for a zone’s survival.

He seemed to be the type who only cared about himself.

After he finished, there was a silence, and the two looked at him with surprise. Ayen stared back at them with confusion. Was his guess too far-fetched or too negative?

“Ayen, you can talk,” Lucian spoke with surprise.

Ayen furrowed his brows at him. What was he on? Of course, he could talk.

“You’re probably right. It doesn’t matter if you’re wrong.” Nolan shrugged, and he truly did not look interested in Renji’s purpose at all. Instead, his eyes lit up for the unexpected reason.

“But… Ayen, I love your voice. It’s too soft and relaxing. Have you considered being a… Vtuber?”

Vtuber? What’s that?

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