Chapter 1357

His body froze in place from overwhelming fear, unable to move at all.

"Such a fragile ordinary person!"

Ichi no Tsuugou's face remained expressionless; he merely extended his palm and activated vector control.

The terrifying tidal wave surging toward him instantly reversed direction, crashing away in the opposite direction.

From all sides, colossal waves tilted and surged outward—except for the wave heading toward Ichi no Tsuugou, which reversed course.

The sea became perfectly calm.

"...... Vector control."

Kobayashi finally snapped back to reality, remembering Ichi no Tsuugou's power, and exhaled in relief.

"...... So you knew I had this power—then why did you just act like the end of the world? Are you some kind of actor? If this is a joke, you played it extremely well."

Ichi no Tsuugou sneered.

"...... I'm sorry... I'm just an ordinary person."

Facing that... world-ending tidal wave, my mind went completely blank—I simply couldn't recall your power in that moment."

Kobayashi gave a bitter smile and offered a sincere apology, though he tightened his grip on Kona even more.

"Kobayashi! Even without this white-haired guy, there's no need to worry."

"I'll protect you!"

Kona thrust her fist forward, pushing forcefully through the air, her voice resolute.

Kobayashi paused, then responded with a warm smile.

"Alright! Then I'll count on you to protect me."

Kobayashi Tor and Elma swiftly appeared beside Kobayashi.

Kobayashi Tor glanced warily at Ichi no Tsuugou, then rushed forward, fixing her eyes on Kobayashi, her voice unusually stern: "Didn't I tell you not to come here?"

"If you hadn't come, you'd be dead! Do you want me to just wait quietly for news of your death?"

........... Kobayashi met Kobayashi Tor's gaze without flinching, his voice firm: "If that's how you feel, then forgive me—I can't do that."

Kobayashi Tor opened her mouth, then finally let out a bitter laugh and swallowed her words whole.

Right before Kobayashi, she had been so humiliated, nearly killed by Garuda.

Now, even if Kobayashi Tor wanted to stop or scold Kobayashi, she had neither the... standing nor the reason.

Ichi no Tsuugou gazed into the distance, then suddenly spoke: "Tor, and Elma—I can call you that, right?"

"Of course you can!"

Kobayashi Tor turned to look at Ichi no Tsuugou and nodded; though respectful, there was a trace of caution in her expression.

After all, Kobayashi Tor had not yet confirmed the true identities of this group; though they clearly were close to Kobayashi... it was better to remain cautious until the full situation was clear.

Kobayashi Tor's voice turned serious: "What is it you wish to ask me?"

Ichi no Tsuugou didn't mind; his expression turned peculiar as he pointed a finger toward the distance: "...... That guy! He should be your comrade, right?"

Kobayashi Tor and Elma froze, following Ichi no Tsuugou's gaze toward the horizon.

There they saw Fafnir, swept up by the tidal wave, screaming in agony.

"Aaaah! Someone save me! I'm still badly injured... I'm a wounded man!"

"I can't resist a wave of this scale! Help me...!"

Kobayashi Tor: ""

Elma: "Kawa"