Tohru could see the sincerity in the girl named Honma Meiko.
So even in her dying moments, she still explained clearly to her, so that she could completely give up hope.
"Do you believe in the existence of gods?"
Following Tohru's inquiry, Honma Meiko was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Whether it was the era before the supernatural decline, or the information she had personally heard from the chief priestess tonight, it all indicated that the world they were in had true gods.
She herself even had the opportunity to become a so-called god.
And this world, needless to say.
According to what this female dragon herself said, she had ended up in such a state precisely because of a war with the gods.
Moreover, the diary in Honma Meiko's hand was, in the mysterious person's words, a treasure given to them by a higher-level god.
She no longer doubted the fact that gods truly existed.
To a certain extent, both the "mysterious person" who had sent the diary to her and Miyauchi Hikage, who was beside her and had saved her twice, could be considered "gods" who had changed her life.
And after Honma Meiko nodded with a sincere expression, Tohru showed an "as it should be" look.
"Yes, how could a human like you, who is so favored by the gods, not believe in them?"
"So you can't do it."
"This sword is a holy sword sent down by the gods. As long as someone has faith in the gods in their heart, they cannot pull out this holy sword. Even just trying will cause irreparable damage to your bodies."
Tohru did not place her hopes on Miyauchi Hikage, and did not even spare him another glance.
It seemed that Miyauchi Hikage, this existence disliked by the gods, did have a chance to pull out the holy sword.
But the holy sword had just actively launched an attack on this youth.
This represented the holy sword's disgust for him.
If she did nothing, she could still pass away peacefully.
But if Miyauchi Hikage came to try, and once again triggered the holy sword's autonomous defense, then she really wouldn't even be able to die in peace.
So it was better to forget it. There was no need to try for such a thing.
However, after hearing Tohru's explanation, Honma Meiko continued to stare intently at the holy sword.
Then she took out her diary again.
Back then, the highly perceptive Gojo Satoru had been able to slightly sense a special, hidden power when Yotsuya Miko activated the diary's defensive power.
And on Tohru's side, when Honma Meiko took out her diary, she could also feel an extremely subtle power, originating from some unknown god that was protecting her.
Tohru tried to see the essence of that god, but couldn't see it clearly at all.
To be precise, she couldn't even see a shadow.
She could only vaguely feel that such a force did exist.
She was sure that even in her prime, she probably wouldn't be able to see the source of that power.
Is this a powerful god from another world?
It seems that the spatial rift I created this time has connected to a very powerful world.
While Tohru was marveling at the power of the other world, Honma Meiko's side was also confirming the safety of her pulling out the holy sword from the diary.
[Unable to confirm if you can pull out the holy sword.]
[But it's no problem to just take the backlash from the holy sword with reading value.]
Through the prerequisite tasks of these high-level commissions she had completed today, her reading value was indeed quite abundant. Even after spending more than twenty points, she still had a full fifty or sixty points in reserve.
As a kind-hearted girl, if possible, she was indeed willing to use all the reading value she currently had to save this seemingly non-evil dragon.
At the very least, she had to give it a try.
So, she turned her head to look at Miyauchi Hikage. "Hikage-kun, I have a way to protect myself from harm, so I want to try and see if I can pull out this holy sword. Can you help me?"
Miyauchi Hikage knew things would develop to this point.
He had seen the restriction of this holy sword in the manga in his previous life, so he naturally knew about it.
Only those who thoroughly disbelieved in gods and did not trust in them could pull out this sword.
Honma Meiko was not such a person.
He wasn't that kind of person either.
Before he transmigrated, when he encountered a crossroads in his life, he had also tried to pray in his heart.
Not to mention that he had experienced such a bizarre thing as transmigration and rebirth.
Perhaps the other party was an existence from a higher dimension, but for him, those higher-dimensional beings were several levels higher than these ordinary gods. Ordinary gods were really not worthy of that being's status.
Miyauchi Hikage knew that apart from the precognitive memories from his previous life, his mind in this life was just a bit better, and he was a bit more scheming.
In essence, he was still an ordinary person.
So he didn't think he could be like Kobayashi in the original work, who, in a drunken state, genuinely disbelieved in gods and pulled out this "sword in the dragon" without any trouble.
However, the fated Kobayashi had not yet arrived here. Faced with Honma Meiko's desire to try, Miyauchi Hikage couldn't give a reason to refuse.
Then let's give it a try. With the power of the diary, there won't be too much danger anyway, and I can also take the opportunity to earn some more favorability from Tohru.
Thinking of this, his eyes flickered with light again and landed on Honma Meiko.
This kind of game between gods was already involved. The Eye of Destiny was actually useless.
But it could make Honma Meiko feel more at ease.
"If you really want to save her, I will help you. But I'm afraid it won't be easy. You have to be prepared for failure."
Honma Meiko nodded firmly.
"I know. I won't force it."
And hearing the conversation between Miyauchi Hikage and Honma Meiko, a trace of doubt flashed in Tohru's eyes.
The relationship between the two people in front of me should be that of lovers among humans, right?
But does Miyauchi Hikage really trust his girlfriend that much?
She still wanted to continue persuading the girl to give up this idea.
But Miyauchi Hikage's gaze turned to Tohru again.
"My friend here, she is acting on her own accord. After knowing the possible consequences of doing this, she still wants to try to pull out this holy sword, so I hope you can cooperate."
As a dragon who had roamed the human world for many years in her long life, Tohru, who had a unique sense for people's hearts, could still feel a "scheming" taste from the words spoken by the youth before her.
But at the same time.
It was precisely because of this "scheming" taste that Tohru also truly confirmed that these two people were indeed trying to pull out the holy sword on her body to save her.
And under the protection of that other-world god, they were really confident that they would not be harmed by the backlash of the holy sword.
Looking at the "couple" before her.
The girl had the protection of a god from another world, but the boy had no trace of a god on him.
Tohru did not remain silent for long, then nodded at Miyauchi Hikage.
To be honest, she really didn't want to die just like this.
It was just that she didn't have the ability to change her fate, and had advised the two to leave out of despair.
But if there was a real chance, even if this chance was less than ten percent in her eyes.
No, ten percent was too high.
Maybe only a one percent possibility.
But even with only this one percent possibility, for her, it was worth trying one last time.
Even if she really suffered the backlash of the holy sword, it would just be a more tragic death.
"You two are really the strangest humans I've met in all my years," Tohru sighed with emotion.
"Since you insist... then come on. I'm ready."
Tohru moved her body with effort, allowing Honma Meiko to climb onto her more easily and pull out the holy sword that was restricting all her power.
Honma Meiko's side, with Miyauchi Hikage's help, maintained the rhythm of her Hamon breathing, swallowed nervously, and then climbed onto the dragon's body.
The dragon's back was very hard, so she didn't have to worry about not being able to stand firm.
It was just that looking at the ancient holy sword in front of her, which was even taller than her, she didn't know how to exert force to pull it out.
"You are not from this world. The rules set by the gods of this world may not apply to you. So concentrate, don't think too much, maintain your breathing rhythm, gather the strength in your hands, and then just pull it out directly."
Standing behind Honma Meiko, Miyauchi Hikage, with his hand supporting her back, continued to serve as the instructor.
And Honma Meiko also completely followed his instructions.
And for this, she even spent an extra point of reading value, actively letting her mind enter a state of emptiness, abandoning all distracting thoughts for the next minute.
Hamon was attached to her hands with maximum efficiency. Then she reached out and pressed on both sides of the holy sword's blade, and with a clear mind, she pulled upwards with force—
For a moment, both Miyauchi Hikage and Tohru below truly believed that Honma Meiko had succeeded.
Because at that moment, about three inches of the holy sword, stained with dragon's blood, was pulled up by her!
But then came an incomparably fierce flash of lightning, and the sky-filled thunder gathered with the holy sword as the center.
Honma Meiko knew that her reading value must be dropping rapidly at this moment.
But there was still no distracting thought in her mind. She tried to continue to pull the holy sword out of her body all at once.
Another inch.
An inch.
An inch...
Watching as more and more of the dragon's-blood-stained blade was pulled out by her, Honma Meiko felt that her efforts were paying off.
It was just that the further she went, the greater the resistance she felt in pulling out the holy sword.
It was as if the holy sword itself was resisting her.
If she had a little more strength, she might be able to pull out this holy sword in one go.
But her body hadn't recovered yet. Even if she used all her Hamon power, the amount of output was still just a small trickle.
Just a little more effort is needed.
Honma Meiko thought in her heart.
But standing behind her, Miyauchi Hikage, with his Eye of Destiny open, could see it more clearly.
It seemed that Honma Meiko was only a few inches away from pulling out the holy sword, but just like that famous paradox of the "unreachable tortoise."
The closer the pulled-out blade got to the tip, the greater the force was needed.
This was the divine power on the holy sword at work.
So, it seemed that the rules of this world were, after all, effective against Honma Meiko, this visitor from another world.
So, the holy sword would resist being pulled out by her, and would also attract this sky-full of thunder as divine punishment.
Perhaps, these two different worlds originally abided by the same set of rules?
Even at this time, under the attack of the thunder, Miyauchi Hikage's mind was still able to think quickly.
And then, he also made a move forward.
He didn't know how much longer Honma Meiko could hold on. Perhaps her reading value could let her hold on for a few more minutes.
If it was really necessary, Miyauchi Hikage could also open the small loan function for her, help her temporarily upgrade, and let her feel the power she would possess after becoming a god in advance.
But it hadn't reached that point yet.
The remaining matter should be left to that fated "sword puller" to solve.
Of course, this fated person was definitely not him. A person as impure as him, at this moment, was also thinking of showing that they had "tried their best" while ensuring his own and Honma Meiko's safety.
He would just use that "Metal Silver Overdrive," which specializes in conducting through metal, as the finishing move.
Along with a silver electric arc that was different from ordinary breathing, Miyauchi Hikage said "I'll help you," and at the same time, placed his hand on that holy sword.
In the next moment.
Honma Meiko only heard a sound in her ear saying "Reading value is about to be exhausted, activating emergency mode," and then she was automatically protected by the diary and forcibly removed from Tohru's body.
She stared wide-eyed at the youth in front of her, who looked as if he was about to be completely engulfed by the thunder in the next moment.
And then, she saw that holy sword from the gods, right before her eyes, break inch by inch from the position where Miyauchi Hikage had touched it.
And the original sky-full of thunder, following an incomparably loud dragon's roar, was blocked by the dragon, who had broken free from the god's suppression, with a flap of its wings.
And after that, the mountain forest completely returned to its original peace.
"Human... how on earth did you do it?" Even though she could already feel her original power rapidly recovering, Tohru still didn't know how Miyauchi Hikage on her back had pulled out the holy sword...
No, that wasn't pulling it out at all.
It was that he had completely destroyed that holy sword just by touching it!
Could this be the real reason why he was detested by the holy sword?
Faced with Tohru's confusion.
At this time, Miyauchi Hikage's brain also rarely shut down for a few seconds.
Huh?
I thought we were just going through the motions. Why did it physically destroy itself as soon as I touched it?
Isn't Metal Silver Overdrive used to strengthen weapons? It can also cause real damage to this thing?
Why have I never heard of such a thing?
However, at this moment, another reminder came to his ear.
At the moment he had destroyed this holy sword for some unknown reason, that directional lottery progress bar, under Honma Meiko's one-after-another high-level commissions tonight, had been pulled to the end for the first time!