"Hey, Lara. How many minutes has it been since Kerai took off?"

"It's been a good 7 minutes now."

"You think Kerai has gotten herself into trouble, like maybe she encountered a strong demon or something?"

"I don't think so! She's a strong and swift girl! Worst comes to worst, she can escape with a few scratches!"

Hajime sighed and looked at the distance while he and Lara sat beside each other, waiting for Kerai to come back with some news.

"I'm still amazed that all of you are battle maids. Who would've thought that you would know how to fight? Hold up, now that I think about it, does that also mean Aqua is a battle maid too?"

"Ah, she's training to be one! Though, she has still got a long way to go." Lara giggled nervously.

"Heh. Well, I can imagine that."

After more than 20 minutes, Kerai had arrived towards the two, panting and sweating like she just did a full body workout.

"I went through the whole country...and was lucky enough to stumble upon what seemed like the scent of the HoloFive inside a cave...I couldn't get close enough though as I heard an unfamiliar voice that sounded like a demon's. No doubt, the HoloFive were in there."

"T-They're in there?! Sweet!" Hajime said.

"Does the demon sound like a woman with a seductive voice?" Lara asked.

"Yes."

"So it's still Eva, huh? Please lead us there!" Hajime said. Even if it isn't, it doesn't change the fact they're the kidnapper of HoloFantasy.

"You must be slightly tired from searching throughout Wiesenland, so allow me to at least help carry Hajime-sama!" Lara raised her hand.

"C-Carry me?" Hajime sweat dropped.

"Oh, don't be shy! It's faster this way anyway!"

"E-Err...Well, being carried by a girl is embarrassing, but...this is an emergency, after all, so sure. Strip my dignity-I mean, let's save the Hololivers!"

"Oh, and Kerai-chan, as much as the Hololive members are a priority, you do know maids can't easily abandon the castle, especially when those five are known to be adventurers."

"I know. I'm willing to take responsibility for it. But let's not delay this any further. Lara-senpai, carry Hajime-sama please." Kerai said, running forward at supernatural speeds.

"I understand!~"

"W-Woah! WOAHHH!!!" Hajime grabbed on tight to Lara as she instantly followed Kerai, going just as fast as her.

The three finally arrived around the vicinity of the cave Kerai found. To avoid possibly giving away their location or alerting Eva from within the cave, they had to stay away from the entrance by about fifty meters.

"This is it. All lies on you now, Hajime-sama." Kerai said.

"Hmm..." Hajime looked down at his hands.

"Are you worried you might fail this?"

"Do you think a mere fireball and a self-enhancement spell can help me defeat such a high-leveled demon?"

"If you have a strategy and do it properly, it can even defeat an army of demons." Kerai smiled.

"You know, I haven't personally seen you spar yet, Hajime-sama, but they always say, 'If you know your enemy, and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles'. Do you at least know what she's capable of?"

"Y-Yeah, I do."

I'll be damned. Sun Tzu quotes. But who's the person that created that saying now if we're talking about this world? Moon Shen?

"She's got claws, she can fly, and she seems really physically strong. If I remember correctly, she said she had 'magic armor'. Whatever that is." Hajime stated.

"That, huh? Well, magic armor is still armor. Think of it like this, Hajime-sama. If you have armor, it may protect you from cuts from a sword, but can it protect you completely against a cannon ball? It applies the same to magic armor!" Lara said.

"Hmm...from what you're telling me, that means I can still harm her if I add more power into my fireball and even more so if I do it at point-blank range?"

"That's one thing you can do!"

"Do you have all that you need?" Kerai asked.

"I think this is enough. Going headfirst will get me killed, so I have to jump around a lot and blend in with the dark. It has to be dark there. I can't even see the inside of the cave clearly myself. But also, since it's a closed area, it's easier to deal with her as she can't fly around easily."

"One last thing, Hajime-sama."

"Oh?"

"Please use one of my knives to serve as a weapon. It'll help to at least protect you." Kerai handed the knife with its sheath.

Hajime took out the knife and saw the blade reflect the sunlight in its purest form — almost blinding him. It felt too light for a knife that size. He even stroked his thumb across the blade, feeling it scratching his skin as if he were about to get cut from just a slight touch.

"This'll help plenty. Thank you. I'll make sure to put this into good use."

"I shall take my leave now. Please come back safely, Hajime-sama."

"Okay!~ I also have to enjoy the rest of my day! Take care of yourself!~" Lara said as the two maids made their way back to the castle.

Hajime looked back at the cave and took a few deep breaths, knowing he's about to do something that would cost his life but has to do it. If it meant he could save the Hololivers at least, he would do what it takes.

"...Self-Enhancement!"

**HoloWorld: Alternative!**

Taking place a couple minutes after HoloFantasy was taken into the portal, Flare groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry from waking up from the spell casted on her and the other four.

"W-Where are the others?" Flare looked around.

The environment was too dark to see anything, all except for their area where a small hole laid on top where light could barely seep through.

She attempted to stand up, but noticed she could only move her head.

"Crap..."

A groan could be heard to Flare's right, so she turned her head towards that direction. "N-Noel?"

"Flare! Are you okay?"

"Aside from not being able to move, I'm fine."

"H-Hey, can any of you move-peko? I can't even move my hands! Not to mention, the rope that tied us makes it very hard to even scooch-peko!"

"Oh? Now that's interesting." A sudden giggle came in from the darkness.

The figure slowly walked towards them with footsteps echoing in a slow rhythm, with claps going at the same pace.

"You! Eva!" Noel shouted.

"My my, I'll be damned. They don't call you HoloFive for nothing. My 'Sleep Paralysis' spell should've kept you unconscious for about 4 hours, but it's been half an hour and you five have already woken up!"

"Hey! We can beat your ass-peko!"

"Oh, no! Whatever shall I do?~ ...is what I should say here." Eva did a small snicker.

"Unfortunately, you five may have noticed you're paralyzed, and I'm sure you're not blind to see you're all tied up together, including your hands. It seems like you could only resist the sleeping effect of my spell, but not the paralysis." She giggled, putting her hand on her cheek.

"Untie us now!" Flare shouted.

"How cute, but sorry, no.~ Until that 'Chosen One' comes, I'll cast the spell as many times as I need to.~"

If looks could kill, these five would've turned her into demon soup by now. They would've been able to fight against her if it wasn't for being paralyzed and tied up.

"Lay one hand on that man, and you're as good as dead!" Flare screamed.

"Why? Will he kill me? After that embarrassment of a fight he did against those demons I sent that even a flea could beat them?"

"H-Huh? What does that mean?"

"One of those demons was controlled by me, and I looked through its eyes. It seems your 'Hajime-sama' was like any other civilian. He could fight well, I won't lie about that, but only if it was against humans. It's a whooole different story when it's about demons.~" She giggled.

"You demons under Kuphra's command have lost your way of the Underworld!" Rushia said.

"Oh? Is daddy's obedient little daughter angry?"

"Don't act like you weren't a part of us! It's a rule of all three realms — Heaven, Earth, and Hell — to never cause disturbances against the other realms! That's why I was sent here to Earth! To stop your madness!"

"I never swore loyalty to Damonen."

"Yet you swore to that fraud of a Demon Lord!-"

"You know, if I hear another word come out of your ne-cunt-mancer mouth, I'll personally rip your organs out one by one." She said, walking towards Rushia and putting her claw up against her chin.

She winced as the sharp tip raised her head up high. Rushia kept looking at Eva, who kept smiling at her with that sadistic look.

"Good girl. As expected of daddy's obedient girl. Now, you all just stay there and do your role as hostage as best as you can. I'll be waiting for that fake Chosen One's inevitable death, as per Kuphra-sama's orders." Eva said as she laughed while flying up to a rock high up where she could sit on.

"Dammit! Well, do any of you have a plan?" Rushia asked.

"Nope." Noel replied.

"I would use my speed-peko, but my legs and arms can't move for jack."

"Same. Well, not like you could rely on me when it comes to bare strength anyway." Marine said.

"Nothing's gonna get us anywhere if we keep on talking. Can any of you at least move something aside from your heads?" Flare asked.

"...Nope." They all replied.

"Hmm...I would use Fireball, but not only is my hand aimed in a way where it'll burn all of your hands along with the rope, but we can't even move anyway even after I burn it. Noel, are you confident you can break the rope anytime if you can muster up the strength?"

"Yes, it's definitely possible."

Hmm...is waiting our only viable option left? Wait, but what if she casts the spell 'Sleep Paralysis' again? Will Noel not be able to break the ropes?

"C'mon, c'mon!~ Plan all you want!~ I can just cast Sleep Paralysis anytime I want!~"

Flare could feel her blood seething by the second from her mockery. It was already annoying enough not being able to move around due to paralysis.

"Coward!" She growled.

"Ooh. Feisty, are we? I don't hate that. Though, please do your best to amaze me. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Eva giggled as she put her hand against her mouth.

They all talked to each other about possible plans, no matter how slim the chances of escaping were. Magic, rocks, blades, hands, feet, anything they could think of that could get them out of their tight situation. Noel even tried, as many times as she could, to break the rope with her arms despite not budging a centimeter.

And after what seemed like an eternity of playing a sitting duck, Flare noticed her right foot moving slightly.

"Oh? The paralysis is starting to go away? Well, now's your chance, Holofive!~ Dark elf, put your back into it.~" Eva smirked.

"Dark el-...I'm a half-elf, you damn succubus whore!"

"...Huh? What did you just call me?"

"A damn succubus whore! Why? Did I hurt your feelings?" Flare chuckled.

"Ah...You know, I was just planning to only paralyze you, but it seems your words hurt me more than it should've."

Eva moved towards Flare's right leg and gave it a quick cut before going back to the rock she sat at. Flare winced as blood seeped out fast from the big wound.

"You bitch! You're playing dirty!" Noel shouted.

"No, I'm not. She hurt me with her words, so I thought of hurting her the same way but with my claws. Don't tell me you don't get angry when somebody insults you?" Eva said as she licked the blood off the claw.

"Elf blood. It tastes as good as I remember." She smirked.

Noel growled the more Eva talked back. She could almost feel herself breaking free from the paralysis. It was an illusion, though, created from her rage.

"I swear, once we break out, we're gonna kill you! YOU HEAR ME!? YOU'RE AS GOOD AS DEAD!"

Eva laughed at Noel's remark, so much so that she almost pitied her and would at least break the rope for them to see what would happen.

"Ah, my goodness. I somewhat wish that fake Chosen One guy wouldn't come here, 'cause otherwise, my entertainment here would be ruined. But do continue your tantrum, cow-tits." Eva waved her hand. "I'll just sit here, relaxing and waiting to turn him into mincemeat-"

Eva widened her eyes as she barely cut a small rock going towards her way into half, splitting to her sides.

"...Hey, rabbit girl. That wasn't you, was it?"

"Huh?! What do you mean-peko?!!"

"Eh? Then who threw that damn rock-ARGH!" Eva held her forehead. "H-How? Such a small rock was capable of making my forehead bleed? Impossible!"

Eva looked forward again and gasped as she saw a fist incoming fast. She blocked it with her arms just in the nick of time to protect her face, but the impact was strong enough to send her falling off the rock.

Even for a small glimpse, she wanted to know who was attacking her, but the figure was too fast, she could only see it going back into the dark. Flipping in mid-air and spreading out her wings to descend slowly, she landed on her feet and readied her claws.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!"

Eva was not the only one confused. Even HoloFantasy was awestruck about what occurred just now. The quick figure was the first being who could not only catch Eva off-guard, but even startle her and inflict pain.

She looked around, seeing if she could get another glimpse of the figure, but everywhere she looked, she knew she would be vulnerable somewhere, and the figure would've attacked at any angle. This made Eva more irritated by the second.

And there, a sound came from behind. Eva turned to her back swiftly, but again, the figure was so fast that she couldn't catch it in time. Instead of her cutting it, the figure instead cut her right arm and went back into the dark again.

Eva winced at the pain, so she healed herself hastily and readied for another sneak attack.

"I see...you're gonna play that game, huh? We'll play your stupid game." Eva attempted to giggle confidently, but her voice wavered by the second.

If she were being honest, she was slightly shaken. Regardless if it was a human or not, the figure was not only smart but also strong. She needed to take care of it fast.

Eva kept getting cuts, from her arms, to her body, and to her feet. The demon blood inside her started to roil up. She couldn't take it anymore. Not only was she getting bested by something, but getting hurt over and over again and wasting her mana became a huge annoyance to her.

"Enough! Hah, you want to keep playing this game? Oh, I'll let you play the game!" She said, running towards the Hololivers and then facing her back against them.

"Let's see if you like fire! Tidal Flame-"

"Fireball!"

Just the exact millisecond her spell was about to be casted, Hajime casted his first and drove his left palm into her face, burning it and making Eva scream in agony. She couldn't see anything as a result.

"MY FACE! YOU BURNED MY FACE! YOU BASTARD! FUCK!!"

The Hololivers widened their eyes at the sight of their savior. They would've pinched themselves to see if what they were seeing was a dream.

Hajime, who they thought couldn't fight, was going against a tough demon, and what's more, even saving them.

"Ha-"

Hajime put his finger on Flare's mouth, cutting her off. He didn't want to give away his identity just yet. In a quick moment, he cut the rope and freed the five. They couldn't move much yet, it seemed, but he was happy knowing they could move anytime they wanted to. All that was left was to take care of Eva.

"GAGH...I'M GONNA KILL YOU! I'M GONNA FUCKING MAIM YOU AND TURN YOU INTO MY MEAL!!"

Eva turned around and saw a glint. A knife was coming. Using her claws, she deflected it to her right. However, Eva did not expect Hajime's face when she finally saw the figure.

"Fireball!"

Hajime drove his left hand into her right arm, making her scream. He landed on the ground, retracted his right hand, and sliced across Eva's chest, then circling around her.

"Y-You...I didn't expect you to be the one who could land a hit on me." Eva groaned as she healed herself.

"Yeah? Well, I didn't expect myself to come this far without dying either." Hajime chuckled while sweating.

Damn, does this bitch ever run out of mana? Hot damn. And not to mention, the five still can't move completely yet.

"Well, I'll at least commend you for being able to hurt me, but you merely were able to do it with your wits and such. In terms of strength...I'm worlds stronger than you!!!" Eva shouted as she started swinging her claws left and right, making Hajime dodge all her attacks.

This is bad. I don't know how much mana I have left, but I can feel myself getting tired by the minute! I need to hurt her somehow! I also gotta get the five out of here and back to Wiesenland!

"Fireball!" Hajime chanted as he tried to drive his right hand into her face, but unlike those other times, she saw that coming a mile away.

"Uh uh uh, Hajime-kun.~ You should've went back into hiding.~"

Eva cut Hajime's right arm, making Hajime drop the knife and scream. He held it while staggering backwards. Hajime breathed heavily and felt his vision getting blurry.

J-Jesus, I may have gotten cuts before, but I ain't never had cuts this bad. This world...really is different from mine back then.

Hajime looked at Eva giggling as she licked his blood off her claws.

"Where was your agile self from earlier?" Eva asked as she sliced him again. This time it was to his left arm and right leg.

Hajime knelt down on one knee and his body quivered as his breath was as unsteady as his balance. He could almost see black flashes by the second. All while this was happening, Eva looked down at him and snickered.

"Now that we've fought, I realized that the Holofive are more of a threat than you. Even the red-haired lewd pirate could deal more pain than you. However, hurting me is not an easy feat. That much, I'll give you praise." She raised her right claw into the air, spreading it wide.

"Too bad you won't live long anymore to tell people about this. I also have things I gotta do. Now please, die for me like the little pest you are!-"

She swung her claw towards his face as Hajime held his left arm up to at least protect himself, but before she could really slice his head off, a sword went through her stomach, making Eva gasp.

"W-Who..."

Eva turned around to see Marine breathing heavily and trembling, using her sword to keep her balance.

"F-Fuck...it's barely been an hour...You pests need to die before I do...If I'm going down, I'm taking you all with me!"

"That's not happening! Self-Enhancement!" Marine shouted.

With as much strength as Marine could muster up, she pulled her cutlass out of her stomach and swung her other sword towards Eva's neck, cutting her head off as it fell to the floor. It rolled and left a huge pool of blood on the ground.

"Heads up!" Noel shouted as she came in to smash the head with her mace, securing the kill. Blood did spill, but most of it went to Noel's outfit.

Both of them fell to their sides and lay on their backs while panting hard. The paralysis still hasn't worn off, so doing something as simple as swinging a sword or mace was quite a chore for them.

"H-Hajime-kun...we're sorry we couldn't help you earlier." Marine said.

"It's fine..."

I'm glad...I finally fulfilled something in this world...I saved HoloFantasy...thank you, Lara, Kerai, everybody.

Those were Hajime's last thoughts before he would soon black out.

**HoloWorld:Alternative!**

Hajime opened his eyes slowly, his head still heavy and painful to move.

"Oh? I...where am I?" He groaned, trying to at least move something. He moved his arms up, feeling a cotton sheet over him.

Despite his vision being fuzzy, he could see five silhouettes. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it to the side. Soon enough, with enough blinks, his vision regained clarity, seeing familiar walls, cabinets, windows, and furniture.

By this time, the sun seeped through the windows with its bright yellow shine. It wasn't evening yet, Hajime knew, but his fight against Eva took place after lunchtime, so it was currently afternoon. His recovery was rather fast if he woke up faster than expected.

"H-Hajime-kun! You're awake now!" Flare said.

"A-Am I in my room?- Ouch!" Hajime held his head and groaned.

"H-Hey! Take it easy! You've just been treated by Kerai-san and Noel. Just lay back down and rest." Flare said.

"I-It's fine...I can sit up."

He looked around, and saw that all five members of Holofantasy sat near his bed. It seemed they watched over him as he recovered.

"W-What happened?"

"We fought with Eva, and won. You did well fighting against a dangerous demon like her. Though, Marine and Noel ended up finishing it." Flare replied.

"Ah, that's right...How long was I unconscious?"

"About 2 hours, I estimate."

"I-I see..."

"Oh! We almost forgot! Hajime-kun, Lara-san just made porridge a while ago, so it's still hot. Eat it fast! She also prepared a glass of water!" Rushia said, passing the tray to the table beside him.

"Oh, r-really? T-Thanks."

"You should thank Lara-san for that, not us." Rushia smiled.

He took a bite of the porridge. "...This is tasty." Hajime's eyes gleamed as he kept eating it.

"Take your time. It's not going anywhere."

Hajime kept taking a few more bites and took a sip from his glass.

"Ah, I'm really grateful that I'll be living here for the rest of my life." Hajime said, putting the bowl of porridge on the tray.

After taking some time to reflect upon the events that transpired, he took a deep breath and sighed. "I guess...in the end, I'm still weak."

"That's not true, Hajime-kun-...no, Hajime-sama!" Flare said.

"Huh?"

"The demon girl was very strong, yet not only were you brave enough to face her, but you even landed hits on her! Although she's one of the weaker ones under Kuphra's command, she's not one to be taken lightly! Thanks to you, Marine and Noel were able to finish her off! So...because of your wonderful feat..."

Flare looked at the others, and they all nodded. They lowered their heads while still in their seats.

"Eh?"

"We're sorry. Sorry for doubting you as the 'Chosen One'. We only wanted to protect you because you acted more like a normal civilian who could fight, but you proved us wrong."

"Hey, raise your head. It's not too big of a deal..."

I will admit though, it did make me cry and have a breakdown, so there's that. Hajime sweat dropped.

"Still! Because of us, you ran away, and that must've hurt you in levels we couldn't imagine!-"

"No...in a sense, you're right though. Very very right." Hajime sighed.

"I can see why I'm the 'Chosen One' since I was summoned, and I was able to use magic here, and not to mention, I was able to catch on quickly, but I'm far too weak as of now. Hell, I struggled to deal with the army of very weak demons earlier, and especially when I lost to Eva despite having an advantage initially."

The world was merciless. Cold. Everybody lived in their homes and far from danger, because if they weren't, God knows what would happen to them. This was a world where predators kill you with more than just their fangs. They kill you with unpredictability, cunningness, and strategy. That's what Hajime finally realized.

"If that was just a small part of the world, and I almost died, then clearly, I'm not even prepared for at least five precent of whatever is still out there." Hajime continued.

He put his fist up towards them all.

"So I, Kumoyama Hajime, promise to become stronger to protect everybody, and learn more about the world through the books of this castle's library. I will never let you all be in danger like that again and become a true Chosen One. Until then...I think it's better to call me with the honorific '-kun' than '-sama'." Hajime smiled.

"H-Hajime...k-kun..." Flare said.

She did a small chuckle, then a giggle, and then broke out into laughter as the other four followed suit.

"E-Eh? Did it sound corny? Cringe? Cheesy? C'mon, I'm being serious right now!"

"Ah, no no...To be fair, we didn't expect you to have that much resolve. We thought you might've hated becoming a 'Chosen One', but that's a good ambition! We'll also work hard to protect everybody, including you, Hajime-sa-...Hajime-kun!" Flare said.

"As the leader of the Knight's Order, it is my duty to protect everybody in Wiesenland!" Noel said.

"I'm a part of Hololive-peko! You can count on me!"

"Worst comes to worst, you can also count on me to call on my crew to help." Marine smirked.

"I, a necromancer sent by Damonen to defend Earth against Kuphra, will also become stronger!"

"We are HoloFive!" They shouted in unison.

Hajime chuckled.

"And now that another member has come into the fray, don't you even think about leaving me behind. I will become stronger along with you guys." Hajime smirked.