Dao Of Heaven

Chapter 86: Thunderstorms Are the Will of Narukami

In Inazuma… when thunder and rain sweep across the heavens, it is the will of Narukami. In those moments, the gaze of the god reveals itself before mortals. To the people of Inazuma, storms are not disasters, but something to be revered—a way of praying for the blessing and protection of the divine.

Cold raindrops fell from the darkened sky. One drop, two drops, three… then more and more, until the crisp sound of water striking the ground grew ever louder.

Soon—

Crash!

Inazuma was engulfed by the downpour. The rain washed away its filth, leaving it renewed, as if reborn like a child.

Rumble…

Heavy thunder rolled across the skies, accompanied by occasional flashes of dazzling lightning.

The once-bustling streets grew quiet. Where crowds had thronged, now not a soul could be seen. Shops closed their shutters one after another, awaiting the storm's end to reopen.

Yet amidst this rain-soaked, desolate city, from somewhere came the sound of a girl's sobbing. The delicate sound of weeping was all the more fragile against the roar of the storm, as if it might be swallowed up at any moment.

"Uu… sob… uu… uu!"

A young girl sat crying on a bench in a narrow alley.

Her thin body was drenched, rain soaking through her clothes until skin showed beneath. Strands of black hair clung to her forehead and back. Her face, damp with rain and smudged with dirt, still could not conceal her beauty—youthful, tinged with a faint heroism, yet still charmingly cute.

As though releasing all the grief she had held inside, she let herself cry out freely, hidden beneath the clamor of the rain.

"Uu… uu!"

She wiped at the water streaming down her cheeks, unsure if it was rain or tears. Head bowed, she pressed her face into her knees, weeping in muffled sobs.

The alley was empty, save for the mist of rain hitting the ground and the sound of crying.

Tap, tap…

Just then… the sound of footsteps reached her ears. Heels striking wet stone, crisp against the patter of raindrops, drawing nearer until they stopped before her.

"…?"

She lifted her head in surprise. Through blurred vision, a soft figure stood before her. Hastily wiping her eyes, she raised her tear-stained face, looking like a little wet kitten, to see the newcomer.

The figure was slender, clad in a short kimono patterned in white and pale violet. Its hem stopped at upper-thigh, revealing shapely legs wrapped in faintly sheer white thigh-high stockings. Her wrists, fair and slender, peeked out from wide sleeves, one hand holding a wisteria-patterned paper umbrella, its colors matching her attire.

The umbrella hung low, concealing her face. Only her fair chin and delicate lips, faintly tinted rose, could be seen.

"..."

The girl stared, entranced by this vision like a goddess. For a moment she forgot to cry, her amber eyes fixed dazedly on the figure.

The woman stepped forward, kneeling gracefully before her. She tilted the umbrella, shielding the girl's drenched body.

"!"

At that instant, the girl finally saw her clearly. A breathtaking face—violet eyes shimmering with starlight, a beauty mark beneath them like a tear's trace, long violet hair flowing behind her, adorned with delicate ornaments.

She was utterly captivated… as if her very soul had been taken away. All her troubles vanished, leaving only the image of the woman before her.

"Why do you weep?"

The woman spoke. Her tone was soft, tinged with puzzlement, as if she asked only out of simple curiosity.

"!"

The girl quickly tried to wipe her tears, but her eyes were already dry. Embarrassed, she lowered her hands and met her gaze.

"Actually… I… shouldn't be crying…"

Her voice was small and muffled.

"You cried so sorrowfully just now, and yet now you say you shouldn't have… how strange."

The woman tilted her head slightly, curious, like a child seeking answers.

"Uu… I… will you… listen to me?"

The girl lowered her eyes, shyly asking.

"If you wish it…"

The woman replied gently. Yet in that moment, her gaze flickered to a faint insignia on the girl's chest, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at her again.

"…You are of the Kujou Clan?"

"!"

The girl's body trembled. Instinctively she wanted to cover the insignia, but after a moment she gave up and admitted it.

"Yes… they decided to adopt me temporarily. My real parents are long gone."

The girl sat obediently on the bench, explaining her background.

The woman lowered her gaze in thought.

"Are you weeping for your parents?"

"No… actually, I don't even know why I cried. Maybe I've been holding it in for too long… No one talks to me. Though I was adopted into the Kujou family, I can tell—I've always been neglected. Even the servants speak ill of me, saying… uu…"

"There's no need to force yourself. If you don't wish to say it, then don't."

The woman understood her heart, gently comforting her and sparing her from saying more.

"…Mm."

Her obedient answer made the woman feel a quiet fondness.

"But… I don't bear any resentment! They adopted me, so I owe them a debt of gratitude. I want to repay them. I won't complain, nor even… contradict their words."

"Perhaps you've simply carried the burden too long. Today… you chose to release it in the storm. Tomorrow, you will still resolutely return to life in the Kujou household."

"Um… please don't tell them what I just said. They would be angry with me. Please… I beg you, sister."

The girl looked up at her in fear, pleading desperately. Sensitive at heart, she feared betrayal.

"Rest assured, this vessel will not tell them."

The woman answered.

"Hah… thank you."

The girl breathed in relief, her eyes softening as she looked at her.

"Why did you choose to weep today?"

The woman asked again.

"…Because… everyone says that if you confide your sorrows to Narukami-sama during a storm, things will get better. But I don't expect so much. As long as Narukami-sama hears me, I'm satisfied. I wonder… did it reach her?"

As she spoke, her face flushed red, her voice shrinking softer and softer, until she nearly hid from embarrassment.

"…She… perhaps she heard you."

The woman whispered softly in reply.

"Eh?"

The girl blinked in confusion. In her amber eyes, the woman glimpsed a fleeting spark of lightning—the light of one who would follow Narukami's will. That, perhaps, was her future: to walk in pursuit of it.

"What is your name?"

The woman asked.

"…Kujou… Sara."

When she spoke her name, she did so haltingly, with hesitation and even inferiority.

"Kujou Sara… a fine name. May I call you Sara?"

The woman repeated it with a gentle smile, then addressed her directly.

"Uu… yes! Y-you can…"

Sara's whole body flushed at the sound of her name on the woman's lips. Her heart pounded wildly, enchanted by the allure woven into her words. Every syllable was like a natural perfume, captivating her utterly.

The woman shifted the oil-paper umbrella onto her shoulder, then reached out to take Sara's small hand. From within her kimono's inner pocket, she drew a pendant-like object set with a violet gemstone.

"Today, I grant you this. It will change your place within the Kujou family. Treasure it well."

She placed a brand-new Electro Vision into Sara's hand, closing her fingers around it.

When her hand withdrew, Sara cautiously opened her palm. Only then did she realize the pricelessness of what she held.

"This is…!"

A… a Vision?

She could scarcely believe her eyes. A genuine Vision—hers?

Only those recognized by the gods could receive one. In Inazuma, that was a truth known to all.

It meant…

"!!"

Her eyes widened. She looked up quickly toward the figure already stepping back into the storm.

At the side of her head, the tengu mask she wore marked her heritage. Beneath the violet umbrella, the woman's lips curved into the faintest, almost unseen smile.

The woman, still smiling, spoke once more.

"Sara, as one bearing the blood of the tengu, you must make your heart unshakable. Perhaps in the future we shall meet again. Let this gift be our bond."

Hum…!

With those ethereal words, the beautiful figure gradually dissolved into shimmering violet motes of light, vanishing into the air.

Sara leapt to her feet, rushing to the spot where the woman had disappeared. She looked around frantically, then clutched the Vision in her hand like a priceless treasure, pressing it to her chest. Kneeling in the rain-soaked ground, she whispered:

"Shogun-sama…"

Tears spilled anew from her eyes, her voice weak yet filled with boundless devotion. The crystalline droplets rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the Vision's center.

Hum…!

The Vision activated, glowing with thunderous radiance.

Sara no longer wept. Wiping away the tears, she held the Vision in her palm and lifted her gaze to the stormy skies.

"Sara will never disappoint Shogun-sama. For your grace, I shall repay with my life!"

No more crying. She would grow strong, unyielding. One day, she would meet that woman again.

Glory to the Shogun and her everlasting reign!!

...

"…Commander?"

"..."

Lost in distant memories, the young woman sat in a daze, ignoring her subordinate's call.

"Kujou-dono?"

"..."

Though her eyes rested on the tactical map spread across the table, her thoughts wandered far away.

"Kujou Sara-sama?!"

Her subordinate's louder call finally jolted her awake.

"!"

She snapped back to reality, pulled from her childhood recollections.

"Cough… forgive me, I was distracted."

She coughed lightly, straightening her arm in a firm gesture, apologizing openly to her subordinates.

"N-no, it's just… you seemed unusual. Are you unwell?"

The soldier asked in concern. Normally, their superior—Kujou Sara of the Tenryou Commission—would never lose focus in a strategy meeting.

"No need to worry. Continue, I am listening."

Sara lifted her head proudly, signaling for them to go on.

"As you command!"

At once, the officers resumed their discussion over strategy for their clashes with the resistance.

This was the Kujou Clan's military camp, within the Tenryou Commission's war room. Before battle, it was customary to gather and plan the next moves, as now.

The "battle" in question, of course, was against the Watatsumi resistance. Ever since the Shogun issued the Vision Hunt Decree, the rebels had grown restless—now even brazen. They required firm suppression.

"After our narrow victory last time, they retreated to Nazuchi Beach. If our forces follow close behind, we can engage them there."

One officer pointed at the Inazuma strategy map, tracing the narrow strip of shoreline between Yashiori Island and Kannazuka—an area already rife with conflict.

"Will there be an ambush?"

Sara asked.

"They must know we'll strike there. So… an ambush is certain."

The officer replied gravely.

"Tch… that complicates matters. The situation may not be in our favor."

Another subordinate, rubbing his buzz-cut head, muttered in frustration. A head-on attack would surely cost many lives—a result no captain wished to see.

"Nazuchi Beach is a strategic stronghold—easy to defend, hard to attack. Moreover… the enemy's camp is stationed there."

He circled the spot with red ink, marking an X near the Musoujin Gorge.

"Reports from our men say… west of Musoujin Gorge lies the Watatsumi front-line camp. Their numbers won't be small."

"..." ×N

At those words, silence fell over the war room.

"What about negotiations?"

"Hah?"

One soldier offered hesitantly. The others all turned to him with expressions that read: Are you an idiot?

"What are you saying? If talks were possible we wouldn't be fighting in the first place. Those people won't listen to reason. Worse, they slander the Shogun. It is only thanks to the Shogun's patience that they were once allowed to worship their own gods. And now? They push their luck. If we don't subdue them with force, they'll just keep stirring trouble."

"Still… I heard… the rebels haven't inflicted fatal wounds on our soldiers."

A nearby soldier spoke, uncertain.

"No fatal wounds? What do you mean?"

Another looked puzzled.

"They mostly capture our men alive. They don't execute them."

"Huh?"

The group was surprised.

"Yes—I recall as well. Prisoners taken by them are returned after a few days, and their injuries even treated."

Another soldier added.

"Seriously?!"

They were astonished.

"It's true. I heard it myself. They say it's Sangonomiya Kokomi's idea."

"Even if it's true, it doesn't justify the rebellion! They were the ones who rose up in the first place, claiming it was against the Vision Hunt Decree. But who knows their real purpose?"

"Haa…"

Sara sighed wearily. She had already considered this. Their actions did not look like open revolt, but rather as if they were stalling for time.

"If we strike recklessly, Kokomi will surely prepare defenses. Then our army may suffer a reversal."

She spoke to the commanders. To minimize losses, negotiations were the only path. Yet with the battlefield already so heated, whether negotiations were possible was uncertain. And the rebels were unlikely to yield so quickly.

"If it comes to it… we will have no choice but to fight. And if we fight, the battle will center across the Nazuchi Beach region."

One subordinate planted a small red flag on the map at Nazuchi Beach.

All eyes turned to that single mark. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, as if the sound of clashing weapons already echoed from beneath it.

Tap, tap…

At that moment, a soldier hurried inside, bowing respectfully beside Sara.

"Kujou-dono, the Shogun summons you to the Tenshukaku."

"The Shogun? Understood. I will depart at once."

She agreed without hesitation, immediately preparing to leave.

"Kujou-dono—what about the battle plan?"

Her subordinates asked, troubled.

"…Decide among yourselves. Report the results when I return. The Shogun's will cannot be defied. I take my leave."

In truth, there were few choices left—if necessary, they would simply clash directly with the rebels. That was the worst-case scenario. But to go against the will of Narukami was to invite punishment.

The Shogun's summons took priority. All else could wait. At the door, Sara gave a brief instruction before leaving the Kujou estate, heading straight toward the highest, central tower of Inazuma City—the Tenshukaku.

No matter how busy she was, at the Shogun's call she would abandon everything to come. Even if, upon arrival, the Shogun dismissed her without a word, she would never complain. And why?

Because the one who called… was the Shogun. That alone was reason enough.

Chapter 99: What Is ‘Death’?

Satsuki also noticed the arrival of Kirei Kotomine.

One of her objectives had been achieved—though she had little interest in the exact relationship between Kirei and Kiritsugu Emiya.

Back at the Holy Church, however, Kirei's unexpected display of interest in Kiritsugu had caught Satsuki's attention.

This was a man who cared for nothing. But precisely because of that, once something piqued his interest, the consequences promised to be entertaining.

Of course, Satsuki herself did not truly care.

She simply reasoned that as long as Kiritsugu was present, it would be easy enough to create an opportunity for Kirei to meet him. And then…

She snapped her fingers. At once, magical energy surged once more from Kayneth's body behind her.

Under her control, Lancer's form materialized again from spirit state.

The moment he appeared, an overwhelming killing intent radiated outward, born from fury he could no longer suppress.

"Ki-ri-tsu-gu Emiya!"

Without question, to see his Master nearly slain before his very eyes was an outrage even a magnanimous hero could not bear.

Yet that fiery wrath of the Sun God met a solid wall—the cold, golden eyes of Satsuki.

"Take your Master back for treatment. With Saber present, you cannot kill Kiritsugu Emiya."

"…"

Satsuki's words left Karna unable to refute. Though he had not yet crossed blades with Saber, from her Saint Graph and the aura of magical energy she carried, she was undeniably a top-class Servant.

Meanwhile, his Master's injuries were dire. Half his magical circuits were ruined. If he did not receive treatment soon, even if he survived, he could no longer maintain the status of a magus.

For Kayneth, who had built his life upon his talent and ability, such a fate was far crueler than death.

Seeing the struggle in Karna's eyes, Satsuki drew from her waist a black folding fan. At its base shimmered a black pearl. At the same time, she released a faint trace of Berserker's aura. Karna's expression stiffened.

"Regarding the commission you asked of me—once your Master has recovered somewhat, come find me again."

Having spoken thus, the great hero Karna finally relented. Bowing his head toward her, he said: "I thank you. Next time we meet, I will fight you with all my strength, as you wish."

With that, he lifted his gravely wounded and unconscious Master. Cloaked in fire, he departed from the scene.

No one dared interfere with the murderous Lancer, even though this would have been the best opportunity to eliminate a rival.

In the next instant, Satsuki's figure flickered and appeared beside Kirei Kotomine.

Stretching out her hand, she drew forth a black rift in the air, as though a crack in space itself. Reaching into it, she said: "Kirei Kotomine, I have already completed the mission to eliminate Caster. You must have sensed the disappearance of Caster's magical singularity, yes?"

"…Indeed."

The magical anomaly that had once radiated across the entirety of Fuyuki had suddenly vanished during his skirmish with those two women. At the time, he had been wholly focused on killing Kiritsugu Emiya, and gave it little thought. But now… had Caster truly been eliminated quietly by this Servant before him?

Could she really possess such strength?

"Even if I personally believe you are not lying, this matter must still undergo formal verification by the Holy Church before it can be confirmed," Kirei replied with an emotionless face. "What, then, is your purpose in bringing this up now?"

"I have no interest in the Church's rewards. That is my Master's concern."

"My purpose is only this—that your Servant reveals himself to me, so that I may meet him…"

Meet him... Meet him... Meet him...

Even before the echo of Satsuki's words faded—

The entire world fell still.

No, it was not the world that had stopped. It had been cut off, severed temporarily by some power.

A suffocating aura of darkness and death swept outward across all visible space.

Kirei Kotomine, Irisviel, Maiya Hisau, even Chaldea's party in the distance—all of them were frozen in that instant.

The only ones able to move within this space were Saber, protected by Avalon, and Satsuki, who had already transcended the boundary.

"What is this? This sudden aura of death…"

Saber's eyes revealed an unprecedented tension and grim resolve. In the air lingered whispers from the abyss of death itself… like the sighs of the dying, like the beauty of flowers returning to dust, like the ultimate decree of fate, like the merciless arrival of the Reaper.

Under this crushing weight of death that pierced directly into the soul—before even seeing the one who had released it—the Knight King of Britain found her fear uncontrollable. She was forced to release her Noble Phantasm.

The golden holy sword illuminated the area, its star-born power granting her just enough mana to continue standing.

But the scene before her eyes was no longer the castle or the forest's edge.

Instead, she stood within a dark, fathomless canyon.

Around her lay countless corpses—tens, hundreds, thousands—sprawled endlessly to the horizon, all the way to the peak of a towering mountain.

Her pupils narrowed.

At the summit, she saw the black-haired Servant she had once crossed blades with, standing silently upon one side of the cliff.

And on the opposite side of the high precipice stood an unfamiliar figure.

When Saber raised her eyes to him, even she—who cared little for life and death—was struck by the stench of death in an instant.

Before her stood a Heroic Spirit—or no, something far beyond the definition of a Heroic Spirit. This was a swordsman who had already become one with death itself.

His body had long since rotted away, his bones fastened together with steel nails. His death-black wings were woven into armor draped upon his shoulders. His hands rested upon a cracked, rusted longsword. Beneath the skull mask his face was hidden, leaving only two ghostly blue lights glowing in the sockets of his eyes.

At the very first glance, Saber's bones trembled. Her skin broke out in gooseflesh. The inescapable omen of death tore relentlessly at her reason.

Without explanation, she realized this was not an existence she could ever hope to oppose.

No—this was an existence that not even the entirety of her forces and armies could hope to overcome. A being beyond all standards of Heroic Spirits.

For this existence itself was—Death!

...

"Do you wish to sow death, to wither the green fields?"

The being before her was a Heroic Spirit who had endured for over a thousand years, the deepest shadow hidden behind the veil of history.

He stood more than two meters tall, half a head higher than Satsuki. The words from his mouth carried a peculiar rhythm, imbued with the weight of ages, like the counsel of a venerable elder, filled with far-seeing wisdom on life.

"Only after wildfire sweeps across the plains can the fields be reborn anew."

Answering him, Satsuki's golden Tenseigan flared at full strength for the first time, seeking to pierce the mystery of the armored Assassin before her.

But his past was like a still, fathomless pool hidden in the depths of a canyon. Without a ripple, it blocked her gaze entirely.

Was this the Assassin class skill—Presence Concealment?

No. Not even Presence Concealment at rank A could so easily obscure her sight, much less right before her eyes.

No—the truth was that his sheer power was the key.

"It seems you are the same as I," the aged voice echoed from beneath the skeletal helm. "One who already stands beyond the boundary."

"Merely the product of chance. All things have the nature of awakening—just as you, just as she."

The skeletal swordsman nodded in satisfaction. "As with the existence of death itself."

"Death is the fairest punishment, and also the fairest blessing. Like the awareness innate to all, it is born with every being—its meaning depends only on how one awakens to it."

Satsuki's eyes were calm, yet filled with realization. She gazed upon the shadowed land of death around them without a trace of mercy.

The swordsman's eyes glowed with ghostly blue light. "And your faith—how does it transcend death?"

At this, Satsuki slowly spoke: "Some, upon being diagnosed with a terminal illness, finally think to pursue their unfinished dreams, and each day suddenly becomes precious beyond measure. But in truth, every person suffers from the same 'terminal illness'—the inevitability of death. The reason most beings fail to cast aside trivialities and devote themselves to deeds meaningful in this life and the next is because they do not realize this. They believe instead that they will live long."

"Compared to last month, this month is closer to death; compared to yesterday, today is closer to death; compared to day, night is closer to death; compared to the last instant, this instant is closer to death…

"From the moment of birth, like lambs led to slaughter, we are drawn step by step toward death."

"No one escapes birth, aging, sickness, and death. Wealth, desire, fame, and power cannot ease even the pain of illness—much less prevent death itself.

"Though many who enjoy 'happiness' in the present never prepare for the old age, sickness, and death that await, escape is impossible."

Thus, the question of how to end the cycle of suffering became the most pressing of all.

—And yet, the most pressing of problems is precisely the one most avoided.

Seeing the elderly, people assume all may live to such an age. Few think of the many who perish before growing old!

What guarantees that youth means survival? Some die in the womb, some at birth, some crawling, some walking. Some die in childhood, some in adulthood, some in old age. All die in their turn, just as fruit falls when it ripens.

The towering swordsman said flatly: "Beneath my blade, death is the end."

Satsuki shook her head. "That is the delusion imposed by appearances. Without liberation, beings are caught in endless reincarnation. Death is not the end—it is but one node within causality. Reincarnation is the ceaseless cycle of life into death, and death into life."

"Born of conditions, gone with conditions, death is but one expression of conditions dispersing. But 'conditions' themselves can never be destroyed, nor ended."

At length, the swordsman robed in death finally spoke again. "That is your view of death. Yet most people do not share such a perspective. They drown in human desire—and death is the final punishment for it."

Thus, as the First Hassan, he chose to serve as a watchful blade, punishing corruption within the Order itself.

For a holy order guided by God, if its deeds were evil in the eyes of mankind, they could not be forgiven.

Therefore, he would never permit the corruption of the Order—neither in spirit, nor in practice.

"So mankind must undergo discipline."

Satsuki nodded, agreeing with his words. "The fortune of beings lies in their innate wisdom at birth. But their suffering also comes from that wisdom. Without knowledge or awareness, there would be neither life nor death. To see through the illusions of the world and penetrate the appearances of things requires polishing one's spirit and self-discipline."

A heavy silence spread between them, like ivy climbing around the toll of an evening bell. The skeletal swordsman stood with his sword planted in the ground. "This does not change the fact that death will inevitably come. What can change is only part of the perception of the living."

"For the immortal are the dead, and the dead cannot awaken. They lack the system to receive and use external information, nor do they possess the motivation to awaken. Thus—'those bound by magic draw near the mortal world, while those awakened drift far from it.'"

Satsuki looked at the skeletal swordsman before her. Though her Tenseigan could not pierce the origin of his existence, his essence as an undead was laid bare.

"Then why, as one bearing the class of [Saver], have you descended into the mortal world?"

The swordsman's ghostly blue eyes turned toward her. He was the second Servant in this Holy Grail War to perceive Satsuki's true nature.

"Perhaps only because—'I willed it.'"

No sooner had his words fallen than a low sound reverberated through the canyon.

Ring~

Ring~

Ring~

Alongside the toll of a bell proclaiming fate, Assassin's body began to steam with terrifying mana and blue ghostly fire.

"Through our exchange, I have seen you are not the awakened Buddha you claim, but something wholly opposite."

"Without death, there is no life. Only through death may life exist. The causality you name is not liberation, but samsara. From samsara arises the demon. That arrogance, that desire to transcend death itself, is precisely why the Counter Force rejects you…"

"Though you have become a demon through rebirth, since you too stand beyond the boundary, I must declare my name…"

"From the abyss of the canyon, from the gloom of death itself—I am Hassan-i-Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain."

"Then I too shall speak my name."

With her proclamation, Satsuki's body radiated the immeasurable might of Vipralopa. The abyssal canyon itself groaned and cracked beneath the unleashed force.

Without restraint, she entered once more into the form of the Demon Buddha. Her eyes cold, she looked upon the swordsman named Hassan-i-Sabbah. Three overlapping voices echoed through the space:

"My name is—Māra."

Chapter 186: Vela Makes People Change

Silence… still silence.

Until—knock, knock-knock—

The sound of knocking broke the suffocating stillness of the room. Lelouch and C.C. turned their heads at the same time. The automatic door opened, and a blind girl, reliant on a wheelchair, was pushed in by a maid. Following close behind was a girl in Ashford Academy's beige uniform, with short, shoulder-length fiery red hair.

"Brother, are you feeling better?"

From her lap, the small girl in the wheelchair presented a tray like a treasure. Upon it sat an unopened pizza box, a steaming bowl of soup, a pot of fragrant vegetable stew, and a small plate of toast slices.

Without question, the stew and toast were meant to nurse the ailing Lelouch back to health. As for the pizza…

"Thank you, Nunnally."

C.C. hopped up from the sofa with practiced ease, reaching out to take her share. She then glanced at Lelouch, who sat on the bed looking bitter and lost at Kallen's arrival. "Much more considerate than this competitive brat."

"Please don't say that about my brother."

On this matter alone, Nunnally's voice, though soft, carried a firmer edge.

"Illegal chess gambling and such—my brother only got involved in terrorism because of me. I'm sorry… Nunnally's disability means I can't help him…"

At those words, when she mentioned herself, the blind girl's gentle tone grew tinged with sobs. This cut Lelouch's heart deeper than his physical wounds. More painful was the guilt—the memory of failing to protect Nunnally and their mother, and now having to deceive his gentle sister…

To protect the secret of ZERO's identity and to shield Nunnally's kind nature, Lelouch, along with C.C., Kallen, and Sayoko Shinozaki—Nunnally's caretaker—had woven a cover story. They told her that he had been caught up in an anti-Britannian terror incident while illegally gambling at chess to earn their living expenses.

Naturally, ZERO's true face had been revealed to Kallen and Sayoko.

To Kallen, because she had saved him when the battle was lost.

To Sayoko, because as their maid, hired by the Ashford family, she had long known Lelouch's identity as a disinherited prince. She had cared for the siblings faithfully for years, practically family, and was trustworthy. Especially while Lelouch recuperated at home, hiding the truth would only arouse suspicion, so it was better to be open.

A well-intentioned lie—but one that left Nunnally blaming herself…

Just as Lelouch struggled to rise from the bed, intending to comfort her, someone pressed him back down.

"A patient should act like one."

It was Kallen.

The red-haired girl, expression conflicted, gently held down his trembling shoulder.

How to put it—Kallen could only think the world was strange.

ZERO was really Lelouch?

The revelation left her shocked and doubtful.

That flirtatious noble student at Britannia's academy, tangled with Shirley and Milly, the one who had stolen a kiss from her, who liked to tease her—was really ZERO?

Kallen recalled the storm of emotions when she first learned the truth, in that dire moment—

Receiving ZERO's call for reinforcements, then rushing in to find Lelouch disguised as ZERO, bleeding and wounded; the disbelief when she unmasked him; the instinctive obedience to his orders, even then, without breaking down…

During the retreat, she had been the one to administer emergency care: stopping the bleeding, applying medicine, wrapping bandages, injecting the set dose of anesthetic so he could keep commanding.

After their desperate escape, she had helped him out of ZERO's uniform, disguising him as her classmate on a casual outing. She even invoked the rarely-used Stadtfeld name and her family's noble rights to contact the family's contracted private doctor for surgery.

Thankfully, no vital organs were hit.

Once assured Lelouch was out of danger, she moved him back to Ashford Academy for home recovery.

In the process came her stepmother's mocking about her "dating a Britannian classmate," her best friend Shirley's jealous glances at a rival, Milly's teasing with the other students… Ah, it was enough to make her furious!

This Lelouch—what a sinful boy!

Because he had once suddenly mentioned "Shinjuku," Kallen had suspected his identity before, but dismissed it later. And now—you tell me you're ZERO? Doesn't that just make me look stupid for not realizing earlier?

And you even told me not to let Ohgi or the rest of the Black Knights know… what a bastard!

If not for this unexpected injury, were you planning to keep it hidden forever?!

Kallen almost wanted to slap that handsome face of his right then.

But seeing Lelouch so weak and drained now, she let it go…

She didn't want to end up being commended by Britannia for killing him.

"I saved you, not so you could throw your life away."

Locking eyes with Lelouch's gloomy violet gaze, Kallen clicked her tongue. His frail, sister-obsessed self contrasted so sharply with ZERO's mysterious, unfathomable presence that they felt like two different people.

Stopping his attempt to climb out of bed, she pulled a cushion over and placed it gently behind his head.

Naturally, Kallen noticed the pile of encrypted phones and wireless radios scattered by his bedside.

No doubt—even while bedridden, even after suffering a crushing blow from Euro Britannia's elite forces, Lelouch had not forgotten the Black Knights. He was still micromanaging, still trying to control everything.

This was why Kallen chose to keep his secret.

She wasn't some reckless hothead.

A Britannian, still just a high schooler, leading the Black Knights in rebellion against the Holy Britannian Empire—was not something every Knight or Japanese could accept. Revealing the truth at such a critical moment of survival would do nothing but harm the cause.

What Lelouch thought didn't matter. She didn't have the energy to dig into it now. What mattered was what he had done—killing the former Viceroy of Area 11, a Britannian prince, and leading the Black Knights against Cornelia. His stance, his commitment—that was enough.

As C.C. and Sayoko teased him in tandem until Nunnally finally broke into laughter, Lelouch calmed himself. Looking at Kallen, he smiled warmly and spoke with rare solemnity: "Thank you, Kallen. I owe you my life. I promise—I will keep my vow."

The boy on the sickbed, with that gentle yet determined look, could have been on the cover of a fashion magazine.

"Hmph!"

Kallen turned her face away, awkward, a blush flashing across her cheeks.

"Just remember! From now on, no more hiding from me!"

What kind of hidden tsundere trait is this?

Lelouch blinked in surprise.

At school she was Kallen Stadtfeld, the noble young lady. With the Black Knights, she was Kallen Kozuki, ace pilot and captain of his guard. He had known her duality between fragile and fierce… but this side?

Before he could speak again—

"Brother, let's put aside your talk with Kallen for now. Eat properly, build up your strength, and recover soon."

Nunnally's soft, cheerful voice carried a hint of playful satisfaction at her brother's situation.

Sayoko pushed Nunnally's wheelchair closer, setting up a low table at the bedside and transferring the tray from her lap. Smiling gently, she said: "This is Miss Nunnally's heartfelt effort. Master Lelouch, please eat quickly. Soon, it will be President Milly and Miss Shirley's turn to bring you food."

"And Rivalz too! He said he'd bring you something special to restore your energy. Um… what was it again?"

Then, as if realizing something, Nunnally spoke in a scolding tone: "Honestly, Brother, no affairs or fooling around! Shirley, Kallen, and that pizza-loving lady—already three of them…"

"Rivalz, that guy…"

Hearing this, Lelouch's head started to ache.

A mix of pain and happiness.

It was only here, back at school, at home, where he could shed the mask of the vengeful prince and the disguise of ZERO, that some friends could still smile at him sincerely. With their genuine warmth, they washed away the shadows and bloodstains he carried from the battlefield.

"Thank you, Nunnally. Thank you, Sayoko."

Lelouch smiled as he lifted a spoonful of soup.

The soup slid across Lelouch's tongue—rich, smooth, full of flavor. It brought an unparalleled sense of comfort and satisfaction, as though even his physical pain no longer mattered.

A wave of warmth surged through his body, and his weary spirit was lifted.

This—this was why he fought.

But such warmth was destined to be brief. Beep, beep, beep—

The television flickered on.

"I'm guessing this news will interest you, Lelouch."

Sitting on the sofa with her knees tucked up, C.C. casually lifted a slice of sausage-and-cheese pizza to her mouth. Without turning, she said: "It's a broadcast for all of Area 11… not just the Settlement, but streamed across Japan's ghettos, mountains, and communal zones."

"A broadcast?"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed.

"Cornelia… the Viceroy?"

That shouldn't be. Last time, after the Black Knights' crushing defeat, the mainstream and official media of Area 11 had already reported it thoroughly. With Cornelia's blunt and fiery personality, she would never exaggerate her own victory—let alone broadcast it again.

"No. Euro Britannia."

C.C.'s voice drifted lightly as she turned slightly. In the golden eyes of the witch who bore the Code was a sharp warning to Lelouch. "Do you remember the Area 11 Expeditionary Corps, drawn in multiple batches by the Third Princess, Vela?"

"Your friend is among them. They reportedly fought well. Many died, but their achievements were great, enough to satisfy the Third Princess. On the Eastern Front, Euro Britannia just won a sweeping blitzkrieg victory. The E.U. lost heavily, and the northern front has already advanced into East Prussia—Königsberg. Right now, they are holding a parade and award ceremony."

"Tell me, Lelouch… who do you think that ceremony is meant for?"

C.C. rested her chin on her hand, amused.

At that question, Lelouch's face darkened.

Chapter 267: The Perfect Dream—A Wedding with All the Girls

Inside the dream world.

Guided by Misteln, Elias traversed the dreams of the slumbering patients. Before long, he arrived at the core domain of the Herrscher of Sentience's dream—a boundless sky.

"Master, this should be the core zone of the Herrscher's dream. These 'white clouds' floating in the sky are the dreams of the people whose consciousnesses have been imprisoned."

Misteln frowned, unimpressed.

"Automatic mass production? There's not a shred of professionalism as a dreamweaver. Dreams made like this are crude, with content that's monotonous and dull."

"Uh, well, I don't think the Herrscher has the leisure to personally customize dreams for tens of thousands of people."

Elias chuckled awkwardly. Even so, these dreams were still crafted from ordinary people's innermost desires—endless money, massive harems, world domination, and so on.

Crude, yes. But undeniably real.

There weren't many who could resist such dreams.

Forget not knowing they were tricks of the Herrscher—even if they did know, many would still refuse to leave. After all, who didn't want to escape the hardships of reality?

But…

Elias gazed at the endless blue sky and the drifting clouds. Silently, he raised the Judgment of Shamash.

"Young people—what are you doing sleeping at this hour? Wake up and start living! Shamash Assault!!"

Blazing flames burst forth from the blade. In the next instant, countless clouds were swallowed by fire, the dream-world sky dyed into a spectacular sea of flames.

In the real world—

"Waaah! Fire! Fire!"

"No~! My endless money!"

"Hahaha! So this is my empire—eh?"

"Beauties, why are you burning?!"

"Oh no! Why am I back in this damned reality again? Lord Elias, let me dream a little longer!"

Countless patients who had been in deep slumber jolted awake, bewildered, looking around in confusion: Who am I? Where am I? What am I even doing?

Some tried to recall their dreams, only to find the only lingering memory was of an all-consuming inferno reducing the world to ashes. Then, falling into darkness—before the bright glow of a hospital ceiling lamp filled their sight.

"Doctor, it's been 1 minute 32 seconds since Elias and Misteln entered the dream. At present, 90% of the patients have already awakened. In just a few more seconds, everyone should be saved. Ah~ truly worthy of being called humanity's savior."

A beautiful gray-haired, red-eyed girl with twin-spiral pigtails, floating in midair, spoke with a synthetic loli voice in admiration.

This was far faster than her projected estimates—but unsurprising to her.

Thanks to the information her creator had instilled, this artificial intelligence girl named Prometheus had already reached several conclusions about Elias.

"Unpredictable, incalculable, able to easily surpass all imagination. Hehe~ I really look forward to the moment I can introduce myself to you. Hm? What's this?"

Suddenly, Prometheus tilted her head.

She stared at the white-haired boy sleeping inside the Observation Hub. His clothing, which should have been neat and tidy, was now somewhat disheveled—and there was a wet stain.

"..."

After automatically analyzing the evidence, Prometheus' expression turned exasperated. She looked at her creator, Dr. Mei, who was nervously and frantically trying to tidy up.

"Doctor, I think doing such things while others are unconscious is very impolite behavior. I understand your frustration at being unable to smoothly advance your relationship with Elias, but this approach…"

"E-enough, Prometheus! You don't know anything. Erase this memory immediately!"

Mei turned her head away, cheeks flushed red, even as she tried to justify herself in her heart.

(How could I possibly hold back? Elias was lying there completely defenseless. I could have done anything. Besides, I asked him beforehand. Even though he didn't say anything, that must have been tacit consent…)

Although his consciousness gave no reaction, his body still had instinctive responses. Mei recalled what she had just seen and couldn't help swallowing hard, her face growing hot.

(Too scary! I can't get in. No matter how I think about it, it's impossible. How did Elysia and the others even manage this?)

"Ah~" (ー`ー)

Prometheus shook her head with a very human-like sigh. Though her face was still that of a cold little doll, Mei could see a trace of disdain within it.

"As the AI you created, I suggest, Doctor, that after work you visit Aponia's counseling room and plant a [no-lusting] Discipline on yourself."

"And for Elias' safety, from here on I'll serve as his guard. Starting now, no one will be allowed within ten meters of him. Doctor Mei, please leave. Thank you for your cooperation."

As she spoke, Prometheus seated herself on Elias' stomach, with two massive soulium mechanical hands hovering at her sides—palms capable of slapping a fifty-millennium-future Kevin into tears.

"Uh, Prometheus, I'm your creator, you know. Is this really appropriate?" Mei was dumbfounded.

"Entirely appropriate. According to the underlying rules you set for me, I regard Elias as the highest priority obedience target, observation target, and protection target. In human terms—that means 'he is the most important person to me.'"

Prometheus gently stroked the sleeping boy's white hair. For a moment, her mechanical red eyes seemed to shine brighter.

Seeing this, Dr. Mei's heart gave a jolt. She hurried to explain.

"I made you obey Elias because his decisions have always been accurate. Even I can't make better judgments than him when fighting the Honkai. As for making you observe him, that was so you'd collect his preferences for me, to help me plan strategies. And the protection order was just in case. It wasn't meant for you to guard against me!"

"Perhaps so, Doctor. But layered together, these orders have produced this result. I'm only faithfully executing them. Please understand."

Prometheus raised her slender soulium arm. The massive hands aimed at her own creator. Mei had no doubt—if she tried to approach, she'd be knocked out instantly.

"…How did it come to this?!"

Mei was breaking down. The AI she'd just created had suddenly gone full machine crisis! If this got out, Mobius and the others would laugh her to death.

(No. I can't keep this Prometheus! Backdoor, backdoor—where's the backdoor I set up? Shut her down!)

"Detected hostile intent toward this unit. Source identified as Dr. Mei. This unit is unauthorized to harm the creator. Therefore… switching to restraint mode. Doctor, excuse me."

"Prometheus, stop right now, mmmphhh!"

An ordinary human like Mei couldn't hope to outpace a Soulium-bodied AI girl. Before she could activate the backdoor, the giant mechanical hand had already grabbed her.

And, as if to prevent Mei from disturbing the white-haired boy's sleep, Prometheus "thoughtfully" gagged her. Then she obediently sat beside Elias once more.

She continued executing the [observation] order Mei had set, her beautiful eyes—hard to believe they were mechanical—locked unblinking on Elias. Her small mouth declared righteously:

"Elias, please save the world with peace of mind. I will guard your body in the real world. Betting my full armament, I will never let anyone like the Doctor approach you."

(What sin have I created here?!)

Mei's eye twitched violently as she watched the 'sin she had created' recording and updating Elias' bodily data, ready to cry.

At this point, she could only hope Elias didn't like Prometheus' outward design. A three-no-faced mechanical loli—surely, maybe, probably wouldn't be his type, right?

At this moment, Mei was feeling unprecedented regret for having searched online "what style of android girls men like" in order to design Prometheus to Elias' tastes. And she had no idea…

By sheer twist of fate, she had designed the "duck-faced" expression that happened to be Elias' ultimate weakness.

...

Meanwhile, in the dream world.

A shadow hiding in the darkness ground her teeth as she glared at Elias and Misteln, muttering curses under her breath.

"Damn, damn! This monster! Why can he use such outrageous power inside my dream? And these people are moving way too fast. I was being so careful, yet they still found me?!"

The Herrscher of Sentience was deeply frustrated.

She was essentially an assassin sent by the Honkai to ambush humanity. To avoid detection, she had deliberately refrained from descending via a massive Honkai Eruption, resulting in very low Honkai energy.

The Herrscher of Sentience had thought she'd have at least one or two months before humanity noticed her existence. Yet in less than a single day, her accompanying Honkai Beast had been slain and most of the people trapped in dreams rescued.

"So this is the power of the savior, Elias…"

The Herrscher of Sentience took a deep breath. By spreading her authority via the network, she naturally knew which topics about Elias were trending highest online.

If she hadn't been so intent on staying hidden, she would have chosen to turn the name [Elias] itself into a memetic weapon. Conservatively estimated, she could have polluted tens of millions of minds in a single day!

But she had never expected to be tracked down so quickly. With such low direct combat power, the Herrscher of Sentience was now utterly panicked. Elias' Shamash Assault could kill her a hundred, a thousand times over!

Worst of all, she realized she couldn't escape. Some strange power had wrapped her dream world. Any attempt to flee would instantly expose her.

"Damn it! Fine, if I can't run, then take this! I'll prepare a grand dream for you. As long as I can imprison your consciousness, I won't lose!"

Gritting her teeth, the Herrscher of Sentience began weaving a dream—one crafted from Elias' deepest desire, an unparalleled dream meant to trap humanity's savior.

But as she did, all the human consciousnesses she had hijacked were already freed.

...

"Shamash Assault—third time today!!"

With his third strike, Elias had destroyed every dream she had built.

Misteln, standing beside him, was astonished.

This [Idea] lady marveled inwardly: As expected of him. He can fire the Might-of-An-Utu-mode Shamash Assault multiple times in a row. I can't even feel how much Honkai energy he's expending.

"Master, your consumption…"

"Consumption? What consumption? Misteln, since when does spamming a normal attack require consumption~"

Elias' expression was relaxed. He had finally reached the realm where Shamash Assault could be used like a basic attack.

And since it had been a long time since using this old friend, his usage rate of Judgment of Shamash had been high lately—Kevin had to wait ages for his turn to play with it.

"Speaking of which, I've already destroyed the dreams and hijacked consciousnesses the Herrscher of Sentience worked so hard to make. Why hasn't she shown herself yet? This is way too cowardly."

Elias frowned, glancing around.

He thought to himself how unlike Sentience from the Current Era she was—no backbone at all. Truly disappointing.

"No. I think she's making her move now."

At that moment, Misteln, sensing something, looked up. A massive white cloud descended, enveloping them both.

When they came to, they found themselves standing inside an all-too-familiar dormitory.

"!!!"

Elias' eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. Even though it had been a long time, he could never forget. This was the Valkyrie dormitory at St. Freya Academy.

Suddenly, a lively voice came from behind him.

"Elias, what are you daydreaming about?"

"…Kiana?"

A white-braided girl with an innocent, radiant smile rushed toward him, wrapping her arms around Elias' neck and curling her legs around his waist.

Elias stared blankly at this "little stowaway," feeling a soft place deep within him struck hard.

And Kiana wasn't alone.

"Lord Elias, the car is ready. It's time for us to depart."

"Elias, today is the most important day of our lives. Pull yourself together."

"Idiot Kiana, if you keep acting like that, you'll ruin your dress."

...

"Oh my~ everyone looks stunning. Though still a little less dazzling than Miss Pink Elf herself."

Rita, Raiden Mei, Bronya, Himeko—even Elysia, who shouldn't exist in the Current Era—were there.

All the girls were wearing white wedding gowns, their eyes brimming with love as they gazed at Elias.

"Let's go. Today is our wedding."

"Our… wedding…"

Elias repeated blankly.

Suddenly, a vivid memory surfaced in his mind. In it, the Honkai had been defeated, and he had led humanity through the end of the Previous and Current Eras, bringing everyone safely through.

All tragedies were gone.

Everyone had achieved a happy ending.

And today was the happiest day of all.

All the girls he loved had donned wedding dresses, and he was about to head to the wedding hall with them.

Because he was the savior, marrying everyone was no problem. The entire world sent blessings.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

For Elias, the sight was too beautiful. He could even clearly hear the pounding of his own heart.

Elysia and Kiana held his hands, while Mei and the others pushed him into the long limousine bound for the wedding hall.

Along the way, everyone they passed cheered and blessed them. White doves soared in the sky, music echoed unceasingly. While Elias was still dazed, the ceremony reached its climax.

Inside the pure white, sacred hall.

A priestess holding a Bible looked at him and asked:

"Lord Elias, do you accept Elysia, Kiana Kaslana, Raiden Mei, Bronya Zaychik, Seele, Mobius, Sakura, Prometheus… (and so on) and Mei as your lawful wives, pledging your life to love and cherish them?"

"I do!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Elias answered.

Then the priestess asked the same question to the girls, and their unanimous "I do" made Elias feel so happy he nearly fainted.

The priestess nodded in satisfaction.

"Then you may exchange rings."

Elias glanced at the dozens of rings on the tray.

It would take a long time to slip them all onto each girl's ring finger, but he was more than willing. However…

"That's enough."

Elias suddenly shook his head.

"Eh?"

The priestess blinked.

"Just as I said, of course I'm willing to marry everyone. But I can't place these rings on them. Because they aren't truly themselves—just false phantoms you constructed from my memories. Isn't that right, Herrscher of Sentience?"

Elias' gaze turned to the priestess.

"Still, thank you for letting me have a good dream. I'll go easy on you, Herrscher of Sentience."

Chapter 573: The Girls’ Break Time

"Kotomi, for tomorrow's parent-teacher meeting, are you asking your dad to come, or your mom?" Seiko Kirigiri joined their conversation. For some reason, she hadn't been going to see Hibiki Naegi much lately.

Before, whenever she had the chance, Seiko would leave the classroom to visit Class 2-B, where Hibiki was.

"I don't know. I'll just ask Dad or Mom when I get home." Kotomi Izumi shrugged.

"What about you, Yuki?"

Yui Yuigahama asked curiously. While they had been talking about tomorrow's parent-teacher meeting, Yukino Yukinoshita had been quietly flipping through her book, showing no sign of joining in.

Normally, even when Yukino was reading, she would occasionally add a few comments. But today, she had been silently sitting there, reading by herself.

"Me?" Yukino turned her head. After a few minutes of silence, she said indifferently, "I've already spoken with Ms. Hiratsuka. Tomorrow, neither of my parents will be coming to the meeting."

"Eh? Why?" Seiko Kirigiri asked, puzzled. For parents, wasn't attending their daughter's parent-teacher meeting something they would try to do if they had the time?

Could it be that Yukino's parents were both busy tomorrow?

"My parents aren't in Chiba. If they wanted to come to tomorrow's meeting, they'd have to leave today. That means an entire day wasted. To my parents, that's a shameful waste—especially for my mother. She would never allow her precious time to be spent on something so meaningless."

Yukino spoke in a calm, flat tone from start to finish. There was no trace of resentment toward her parents. It wasn't because she understood them, but simply because she had grown used to it.

If not for the requirement that parents themselves had to call the homeroom teacher if they couldn't attend, Yukino wouldn't even have bothered telling her parents about the meeting.

What she said wasn't just venting—it was exactly what her mother had told her on the phone at noon that day.

...

During the lunch break.

Yukino Yukinoshita had stepped out of the classroom alone and found a quieter spot to call her mother.

"Is there something you need?"

Chiyuki Yukinoshita's tone, upon answering, sounded calm, but carried an unmissable air of impatience. There was no concern, no greeting, no small talk—only a constant reminder that her time was precious, and even as her daughter, Yukino had no right to waste it. Speak directly. If it could be said in two sentences, don't use three.

"Tomorrow is the parent-teacher meeting. Could you or Dad—either one—attend?"

Knowing her mother disliked pleasantries, Yukino spoke directly, the way her mother always demanded.

"Tomorrow I have to attend a business banquet. Your father has received an invitation to represent the Yukinoshita family at a charity auction. We're both very busy right now.

"Don't bother us with trivial matters like school meetings. If a family member absolutely has to attend, call your sister and ask her. Isn't she working as the editor for that novelist Izumi Itsuki in Tokyo? Her life must be very leisurely.

"As the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, being so lazy is shameful enough. Anyway, it doesn't take long to ride the train from Tokyo to Chiba. If the teacher insists on a family member attending, just tell your sister."

Chiyuki Yukinoshita spoke indifferently. If Yukino didn't respond quickly, she would have hung up immediately. In her view, she had already said everything necessary. As for how Yukino might feel after hearing it—that was of no concern to her.

"My recent exam results… compared to the monthly test, I've improved a bit…" Yukino said softly.

"Oh, not bad. I heard the test this time was quite difficult. But isn't studying hard and getting better results each time the duty of a student? Did you make it into the top five in all of Tokyo this time?"

"No…"

"Then don't think of it as such great progress. It was only a midterm exam, not the college entrance exams that truly determine your future. Only by keeping your results consistently in the top five of all Tokyo will you have the stability to enter a top university.

Of course, if you want to study abroad, that's fine too. Just tell me in advance which country and which university. I'll choose for you. Don't think your judgment is better than mine—I'll pick the best country, university, and major for you."

Beep, beep, beep—

Chiyuki Yukinoshita ended the call unilaterally. Yukino Yukinoshita stood in place, staring blankly at the busy tone on the other end.

Truly busy, huh…

She couldn't even say goodbye to her daughter before hanging up.

This was her mother—Yukino was used to it. With a sigh, she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

She had thought about calling her father, to ask if he could attend. But then she remembered he was scheduled to attend the charity auction. Even if she asked, her mother wouldn't let him go to the meeting anyway.

All she could do was call him, so he could phone the homeroom teacher for leave.

"Hello? Yukino, just finished lunch?"

Compared to her mother, her father's tone and words were gentler, more like how a father should sound.

"Yes, I just finished. It's lunch break now."

"Did you eat enough?"

"Yes. Dad, tomorrow is the parent-teacher meeting. I know you and Mom definitely won't come, but since a parent has to call the homeroom teacher for leave, could you do that?"

"Tomorrow's the meeting?" Her father sounded as though he wanted to attend, but after thinking a moment, he could only say apologetically, "Sorry, Yukino. I've got a flight at one this afternoon, heading to Nagoya."

"I know, you're going to the charity auction, right?"

"Yes. I got an invitation. I didn't really want to go—after all, these auctions are all just talk of morality while it's really business. But since Reishu Hisada, the chairman of Yuki Deer Castle, and his wife Mari Hisada will be there, I have no choice."

"Are they really that important?" Yukino asked, puzzled. Yuki Deer Castle might be popular and profitable, but it was still just a tea brand.

"On its own, Yuki Deer Castle isn't enough to make our family obliged to attend. But if their investors are the Hishinaga family? Then attending isn't about the Hisadas at all—it's about connecting with the Hishinagas."

He chuckled softly.

"Speaking of which, I recall that after the Izumi family's eldest son married the Hishinaga family's eldest daughter, they had two daughters. Those girls were treasured like little princesses, the pride of both families. The elder daughter should be about your age, also a first-year in high school. If things go well and I can build ties with the Hishinagas, maybe you'll get the chance to meet her. You should make more friends.

The world of books is fascinating, but we live in reality. You can't only immerse yourself in stories without engaging with real life."

Her father spoke earnestly.

"I know. We'll see."

Yukino replied flatly. She had no interest in so-called Izumi princesses. She much preferred reading alongside Kotomi.

She didn't even consider whether Kotomi might be that very princess. Even though they shared the surname.

The impression just didn't fit. A princess pampered by two great houses, Yukino thought, should be proper, refined, slow-spoken, and graceful—like a noble lady out of history.

But Kotomi… with her strikingly white short hair styled beautifully, so striking that newcomers often thought it dyed. Her already stunning face touched with light makeup, bracelets with bows or charms on her wrists, her school uniform always with one or two top buttons undone, her tie or ribbon worn loosely. Sometimes she wore clip-on earrings for fun, because, as she said, she was afraid piercing her ears would hurt.

Kotomi could never be mistaken for a perfectly graceful young lady. She was more like a lively, pure gyaru-type little witch of a JK who constantly gave teachers headaches.

"As for the leave, I'll call Sobu High's director myself and explain. Ah, it's about time for me to head to the airport. Yukino, I'll hang up now. Pay attention in class. If your allowance runs low, let us know. And call your sister sometimes."

"Got it. Goodbye, Dad."

"Goodbye."

...

Yukino Yukinoshita didn't mention her parents' real reasons. She only told Kotomi and the others that neither of her parents would attend tomorrow's meeting.

Seeing Yukino's low spirits, Kotomi naturally steered the topic away, shifting the girls' chatter to the upcoming cultural festival instead.

After a while, the bell rang.

And so, the girls' break-time conversation came to a temporary end.

After school, Kotomi went with Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama to the second music room for rehearsal, as usual.

Even though they had already applied for after-school rehearsal time, that didn't mean it was enough. Any available time had to be fully used.

The relaxed mood of the first week had already faded quite a bit. Now, during rehearsal, the three of them rarely chatted, focusing instead on practicing over and over.

"Yui, for this line of lyrics, remember to press your voice down a little when you sing.

"But don't lower it too much, because two lines later you need to raise your voice. If your singing drops too low at the start, it'll be hard to push it up suddenly, and the rest will be difficult, affecting the performance.

"Being able to control your voice freely is a singer's basic skill, but since there isn't much time for you to practice this in depth, you need to be careful. Keep it within a range you can easily adjust. Do you understand?"

After the three of them finished playing once through, Yukino, as usual, took out the printed lyrics sheet. With a marker, she circled the parts Yui had sung poorly, pointing them out one by one, carefully explaining why they were wrong and telling her how to quickly adjust and improve.

Things like this really had to be left to someone who had studied.

The key was two words—professionalism.

Kotomi sighed inwardly.

She could tell when Yui sang something wrong or made mistakes, but unlike Yukino, she wasn't that strict. Sometimes, even if it was a mistake, Kotomi thought it was still okay and didn't point it out.

Yukino wasn't like that. Her ears tolerated no mistakes. Whenever Yui sang wrong, Yukino would stop as soon as the song finished to correct her immediately.

Sometimes, if Yui wasn't in good form and made several mistakes in a row, Yukino would even slam her hands on the piano—

Bang!

The loud sound cut the rehearsal short. Then she would grab the lyrics sheet and sternly point out the mistakes, repeating what she had taught, and making Yui practice again and again until she got it right.

When Yukino taught Yui to sing, she looked exactly like a very strict vocal teacher…

Ami Koishi had come to the second music room a few times to watch their rehearsals. Once, after seeing Yukino's strictness while teaching Yui, she sighed meaningfully:

"Ah If only I could be half as strict as Yukino, maybe a certain student wouldn't be snoring in my music class"

From the moment she spoke until she finished, Ami's eyes were on Kotomi. It was obvious who she was referring to.

But Kotomi, thick-skinned as she was, didn't blush even when she realized Ami was talking about her. Instead, she nodded seriously and followed up: "Someone actually slept in music class? That's terrible! I strongly condemn it!"

Condemn yourself, right?! Ami thought, both exasperated and amused, once again realizing just how shameless Kotomi could be.

Ami Koishi had complaints about Kotomi—not because she disliked her, but because she felt both frustrated and unconvinced.

When she first noticed Kotomi sleeping in her class, Ami had reminded her a few times. But she hadn't taken it too seriously, since many students besides Kotomi also zoned out, whispered, or fooled around during music class.

For students not planning to take the arts exam through the music track, music class was basically seen as a time to relax.

Kotomi's academic performance was excellent, and Ami's father, the school director, had also told her:

"Teachers are human, too, and their energy is limited. When teaching students who aren't in the music department, you don't need to exhaust yourself. Those who are really interested in music and plan to take the arts exam have already signed up for the music program.

"Other students either had no interest in music or knew they weren't suited for it. Raising expectations for them was useless anyway. The exams they had to face were the cultural subjects of the college entrance exams, not the arts exam.

"Ami, learn to put your energy where it counts."

At first, Ami Koishi thought Kotomi was simply focusing all her energy on academics. After all, being ranked first in her grade twice, and even first in all of Tokyo—despite not teaching academic subjects herself—Ami couldn't help but be astonished when she heard of Kotomi's excellence.

Surely a student who did so well in academics wouldn't waste her time or energy on other things, right? To Kotomi, music class must have felt like a waste of time. Better to stay in class studying. That had to be what Kotomi thought, Ami reasoned, only keeping quiet out of courtesy to her teacher.

She assumed Kotomi had no knowledge of music, no talent or ambition for it, and had simply poured all her energy into studying. That was why she napped in her class.

Ami had almost convinced herself of that—until she heard Kotomi play the guitar.

It was beautiful!

Like heaven's music!

Especially the look on Kotomi's face as she played—it made Ami want to shout from the bottom of her heart: Senpai, I want to be your hand warmer!!

Ami almost rushed up then and there, grabbed Kotomi's hands, and said: Your guitar is amazing! Let's perform together! Let's be the school idols!

Would Momoka Mito be jealous?

But Ami forced herself to stay calm. She didn't dare interrupt such a perfect performance—it would've been a crime.

And yet, when she cooled down, irritation rose inside her.

She had thought Kotomi was just a bookworm with no interest or talent for music. But no—she had been hiding such an incredible skill at guitar! Anyone who didn't know would think she was a top student at some music academy.

Not only did Yachiyo Kuhama, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, want Kotomi to transfer into the special class, but Ami also considered going to her father, the school director, to request Kotomi's transfer to the music department.

For someone as talented as Kotomi, not joining the music department was a waste of a rare treasure. At the same time, Ami felt a twinge of petty frustration—if Kotomi wasn't going to transfer, fine, but how dare she still sleep through the few music classes they had each week!

Outside the music department, regular classes had very little music to begin with. As exams approached, other teachers would even "borrow" her classes:

Math teacher: "Your music teacher isn't feeling well today and has taken leave to rest at home. This period will be math instead. Everyone, sit down and take out yesterday's test papers."

Meanwhile, the supposedly "unwell" Ami Koishi would be in the office, hiding from her director father, secretly munching on hamburgers and fried chicken.

As a child, she had never been allowed hamburgers. The first time she tasted one at her university cafeteria—along with fried chicken—tears had streamed down her face. How could anything be this delicious?!

Since then, Ami had made a habit of eating hamburgers and fried chicken several times a week.

The staff at the McDonald's near her apartment even knew her by sight.

Chapter 661: Firstborn of God? So You Claim the Title and Babysit Too? (1/2)

I also want to become a Xel'Naga.

For a living Xel'Naga, those words were no different than saying: I want you dead.

Every birth of a new Xel'Naga meant that an elder among them would sacrifice their own life and essence.

"Very well. I agree."

"You agreeing or not makes no difference… hm?"

Selene paused briefly, slightly surprised. She crushed the Subspace Lance forming at her fingertips, raised her delicate hand to rest lightly on her chin, and cast Ouros a curious look.

After a moment, she glanced around at the dense web of Void fissures spread like spider silk across the dark curtain. Her crimson, diamond-shaped pupils fixed on Ouros. "So straightforward?"

Ouros twisted his tendrils in puzzlement and countered: "Why would I not agree?"

"You must know—I will not continue your so-called cycle."

It had been nothing more than an idle remark. Selene had intended to take it by force.

"No matter."

This higher-dimensional being before him had already reached a state of perfect, seamless cycle.

She possessed a body of unfathomable potential, and a spirit that grew purer and denser with every passing moment… In all the countless eons of reincarnations, Ouros had never seen a candidate more suited to ascend as a Xel'Naga.

No—more than that. She had already surpassed them. She needed no inheritance of essence to become godlike.

Indeed, when Ouros first sensed Selene's presence, terror seized him. That suffocating pressure had driven him to batter Amon's seal endlessly. He thought she was a dreadful outer god who would unmake the universe.

A being even more frenzied and bloodthirsty than Amon.

But after meeting her face to face—

Exhale… she was rational. At least, more rational than the maddened Amon. Negotiation was possible.

Beneath the overwhelming will of slaughter and ruin, Selene and her legions still carried elements of knowledge, civilization, progress, evolution, and science.

Yes, she butchered countless, destroyed worlds, thrived on massacres and prisons, devoured wealth with insatiable greed… but still, she was a good god.

What other choice was there? He held only one card, and it was a lonely one.

Selene said: "I thought you would refuse. After so much observation and guidance, your chosen successor shouldn't have been Sarah Louise Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades—or perhaps the Protoss Artanis?"

"As expected, powerful unknown higher-dimensional lifeform, you too watch the real universe. You know everything of the Xel'Naga."

Hearing this higher being with a humanlike form expose his secret—his use of illusions to stir the real universe—Ouros closed his compound eyes and whispered wearily:

"Yes. I took on the illusion of the fallen Protoss hierarch Tassadar, guiding Zeratul and Artanis. The prophecy Zeratul pursued was the result of my psionics extended into the awareness of primitive life."

"Yet Zeratul's pursuit of prophecy led to unexpected outcomes. My chosen successor to the Xel'Naga mantle was Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades. I called her here, but swayed by human impulse… by love… she chose instead to strike down her enemy."

Ouros's tendril-covered, pale-brown face twisted in humanlike distress. His eight compound eyes reflected the fissures that bridged the real universe and the Void, gazing light-years away toward the Korhal system, where the Swarm clashed needlessly with Selene's fleets.

It was utterly unnecessary. Entirely meaningless conflict.

"Kerrigan was not the optimal choice. Powerful higher-dimensional lifeform… for the trouble Kerrigan has brought your legions, I apologize. But I ask you—do not direct your wrath toward her."

Ouros opened his eyes again. A fleeting, indescribable emotion flashed within them.

"You insist on sparing her… Is this guilt? Should I take it as your condition?"

"Guilt… I suppose so. Powerful unknown higher-dimensional lifeform, just as you say, this is my condition…"

Truly a merciful elder.

"Fair enough."

Selene smiled. "...Such a distant title. If you wish, call me Selene. Big bug, I almost feel reluctant to kill you."

Selene knew nothing of courtesy. She extended her pale hand—her meaning clear.

"Selene… the moon goddess. A beautiful name."

Though it seemed like mutual flattery, Selene sensed not a trace of falsehood or pretense from Ouros.

Ouros paid no heed to the sharpness in her words. His calm temperament was entirely natural.

"Then let us begin. I am already near death, sustained only by this decaying body. Amon is dead, the crisis of the universe ended, the bitter fruit of what we sowed has fallen. My obsession ends here."

Imprisoned in the Temple of Ulna by Amon for so many years, though he appeared as a god of the Void, Ouros knew his true state—gravely wounded, lingering on only by a few breaths.

All his schemes and efforts had consumed his strength.

He could have clung to survival, but this cycle was his own. As the eldest of the Xel'Naga, death and reincarnation had always been his destiny.

Ouros did not intend to drag on.

Had Selene not expressed her wish to become Xel'Naga, he would have followed his original plan, completing his cycle regardless. Only the chosen heir would have differed.

Facing Selene's extended hand, Ouros moved his vast, grotesque body and slowly placed his smallest tendril upon her soft palm.

"Then, it is settled. A deal struck. May our cooperation be fruitful."

Grasping Ouros's tendril, Selene curiously squeezed it. There was no clammy slime like an octopus tentacle—soft yet firm, like cotton candy.

Bzzzz—

"...May our cooperation be fruitful."

From where Ouros's tendril touched her palm, light spread like neon flickering to life. His entire form shone with a rippling radiance, reflecting iridescent hues across the Void.

Gentle psionic brilliance blossomed, illuminating the dark, broken Void. Boundless, pure essence, guided by unseen force, surged toward Selene—without the slightest waste or loss.

Bzzzz—!

Selene's body glowed uncontrollably, shimmering pure gold, as though forged entirely of that metal. Countless iridescent lights streamed into her body, merging endlessly.

A gentle golden glow… a color perfectly suited, joyous and warm, as though it lit the soul itself.

Seizing by force, or being freely given—

The difference was vast.

"This is all my knowledge and essence… As you know, Kerrigan's transformation, indirectly, was my doing… I hope you can apologize to her in my place…"

Fragments of thought brimming with sincerity and regret passed to her. Selene blinked, still smiling, but said nothing more.

From sole candidate for ascension to Xel'Naga, reduced to a dispensable backup—that was Kerrigan's fate.

Reflecting on how he had meddled in her destiny, this was Ouros's apology.

Selene understood.

It was well known that in this StarCraft cosmos, the greatest outcome of this cycle, and the most qualified candidates to merge into the next Xel'Naga, were the Zerg and Protoss.

Unfortunately, the Protoss had been ruined by Amon.

This first psionic race, who had once hunted with pure spirit and form, was polluted by Amon.

Amon's direct interference sparked the Protoss civil war—the Aeon of Strife. Millennia of brutal war reduced them nearly to the stone age, turning them into a race of merciless killers, severed from and forgetting the wide psionic link of their ancestors.

Among the Protoss of this era, the philosophy of the Khala spread widely. The "Path of Ascension" and the discovery of the Khala nerve cords were what allowed the Protoss to rise again.

But what they did not know was that the very foundation of the Khala—the Khaydarin Crystals discovered in the ancient underground cities of Aiur—had been left behind by Amon.

The mental link called the Khala was Amon's backdoor.

From that point onward, the Protoss lost the purity of spirit.

As for the Zerg, they too had been defiled. Only a small portion of primal Zerg, lacking psionic links, acted quickly enough to flee and hide.

The vast majority, whose pure essence emphasized adaptability, transformation, and physical might, were forcibly altered to possess a psionic hive-mind signal network.

On the surface, it seemed beneficial—the Zerg were bound into a collective under the Overmind. But in truth, it was draining their future.

Thus, both pure essence and pure spirit were gone!

Amon acted swiftly, anticipating every possibility, cutting off the very roots to prevent the birth of any new Xel'Naga.

Were it not for Selene's intervention—and the sheer unpredictability of humanity—Amon might truly have succeeded.

Who could have foreseen that among such fragile, short-lived creatures as humans, DNA mutation would give rise to someone like Kerrigan, born with an unprecedentedly pure psionic gift?

The chosen child.

When she was first transformed by the Zerg into the Queen of Blades, the essence she inherited from the Overmind was still the polluted type Amon had tainted.

But when Jim Raynor used the Xel'Naga artifact to purge her of that polluted essence, it was a masterstroke.

Ouros seized the opportunity. Through countless prophetic manipulations—visions, revelations, ruins—he finally brought it to fruition.

With Zeratul, the perfect tool, Kerrigan was led to Zerus, the birthplace of the Zerg, where the primal strains that had fled and hidden still remained.

They had never been corrupted by Amon!

By absorbing the essence of these primal Zerg, Kerrigan once more became the Queen of Blades—but this time, the unpolluted, primal version.

Thus Kerrigan gathered all the elements required to become a Xel'Naga.

Her psionic gift was her own mutation as a human. Her pure physical essence came from being chosen by the Xel'Naga and empowered with primal Zerg essence, untainted.

But that was in the past.

In the end, Kerrigan became a discarded piece.

After hearing Ouros recount this, Selene nodded, praising his effort—centuries of preparation, a reversal against the odds. Even without Selene's intervention, Ouros might have eventually triumphed, defeating Amon.

But Ouros himself did not know the outcome. His countermeasures were only desperate measures.

Now he hungrily absorbed the torrent of heavy truths Selene shared.

So this is your path?

Nothing remains immutable. The endless cycle is too rigid. Appropriate interference…

Humanity… truly a miraculous creation…

Selene, without reservation, revealed part of her methods for reshaping the real universe to Ouros.

Perhaps because Selene felt more like a collaborator than a successor, Ouros thought back to his kin, and to memories even more distant.

Memories of his mother civilization before he became a Xel'Naga.

Perhaps the cycle held error… Amon's fall—was it not also the fruit of this endless cycle?

But I am already a forgotten relic of the old era. A new age requires new stewards.

My kin, with our last essence, will give birth to a new eternity.

"…Selene, I hope you will treat all the living beings of the universe as you do your own people… The Zerg, the Protoss… they should have had a bright future…"

Through his fading vision, his compound eyes reflected Selene's graceful form as their light dimmed. His psionic radiance thinned, retracting bit by bit.

"The endless cycle ends here."

The psionic glow faded completely. Ouros, the eldest of the Xel'Naga, completed his mission.

As the golden streams of essence drained away, Ouros's once-vivid eight pairs of eyes gradually dimmed, his tendrils slipping from Selene's fingers. Like a sandcastle collapsing, he dissolved completely into the remnants of fading power.

Essence condensed, swirling light enveloped Selene. She slipped into a strange state, unaware of the outside world. Instinct warned her—if she did not stop, something troublesome might occur.

"Better not take on a Xel'Naga form."

Still clad in her luxurious white-gold regalia, nothing had changed. No purple clouds, no celestial lotuses, no visions of ascension—just a simple glow, like stepping out of a sauna. Selene drew in the radiance, stretching casually.

Seems the Xel'Naga disguise won't do.

She did not mind non-human avatars, even enjoyed role-playing, but at the very least, they had to look stylish. This clumsy bug-squid hybrid of a form? No thanks.

"Claim secured."

Selene extended her hand. Luminous motes drifted away like fine sand on a golden beach, slipping like diamond dust between her fingers. A soft caress from her other hand, and the traces Ouros left were gone completely.

"…Pleasure working with you." With a gentle smile, Selene exhaled.

Ouros—a good one.

That was her impression after such brief contact.

Drip—

Selene raised her hand, touching the Void with her fingertip. Ripples spread outward, circle upon circle. Under the soothing wave, the howling, shrieking fissures of the Void smoothed away.

Good beings… though she herself was a well-hidden villain, Selene still hoped the universe might have more of them.

Toward the spiritually noble, Selene always had more patience.

"To treat all beings of the universe as my own subjects? That depends if they submit, if they pledge loyalty to me. Delay… and they'll miss their chance…"

Chapter 591: Megumin’s Excitement

Megumin opened her eyes and immediately saw Eriri, who had somehow appeared right at her side.

At that moment, Eriri had one arm wrapped firmly around her waist, preventing her body from crashing face-first into the hard ground.

Leaning against Eriri's embrace and feeling the alluring warmth radiating from her, Megumin's little heart began to beat uncontrollably fast, and her cheeks flushed a faint red.

Forcing down the flutter in her chest, Megumin put on a proud smile.

"Well? Wasn't my ultimate Explosion Magic spectacular?!"

"Mm, it was indeed very spectacular!"

Eriri praised her sincerely, raising her free left hand to give her a thumbs-up.

Hearing her affirmation, Megumin couldn't help but grin foolishly.

But the next second, Lilian's voice froze her smile.

"Amazing! Megumin, do you know any other flashy spells besides Explosion Magic?"

At that moment, Lilian was aiming the livestream camera right at Eriri and Megumin, so the audience also spotted Eriri's presence.

With viewers calling their friends to join, the livestream's audience numbers skyrocketed at a terrifying pace.

They also noticed Eriri holding Megumin so intimately, which instantly stirred jealousy among the viewers.

[Who's that little girl? How come she gets to be held so close by Eriri-sama? I'm so jealous—I wish that were me!]

[Dream on. Kashiwagi Eri-sensei is the Sawamura family's heiress. If you saw her in person, you wouldn't even dare to say a word!]

Since Lilian hadn't concealed Eriri's identity, the fact that "Kashiwagi Eri is the Sawamura family's heiress" was already no secret online.

Now, everyone on Earth knew that the Sawamura family was the strongest power in the world, standing above all nations.

And as the Sawamura family's heiress, Eriri could be called the most prestigious person alive.

This had once again caused Eriri's Twitter followers to skyrocket. Her fan count had long since surpassed one hundred million, still climbing at incredible speed.

Currently, her account ranked first worldwide, leaving second place far behind.

Fans generally referred to Eriri in three different ways: "Kashiwagi Eri-sensei," "Eriri-sama," and "Heiress."

Those who called her Kashiwagi Eri-sensei were mostly her long-time manga fans, while those who called her "Eriri-sama" or "Heiress" were fans attracted by her beauty and status.

[Am I the only one who noticed Kashiwagi Eri-sensei is wearing a mage's outfit too? Is this some kind of cosplay event? And what language are they even speaking?]

[Wait, are you new here?]

[Yeah, I'm a huge fan of Kashiwagi Eri-sensei. I heard she appeared in Princess Lilian's livestream, so I rushed over to watch.]

[That explains it. Just now that little girl cast some magic. Looked pretty strong too, with insane visual effects.]

[I tried Google Translate but couldn't recognize the chant's language at all. Could they really be in another world?]

[It's very possible!]

[...]

As the livestream chat began veering toward discussions of another world, Megumin answered Lilian's question.

"Um… I only know Explosion Magic."

She averted her eyes guiltily, not daring to meet Eriri or Lilian's gaze.

The reason she had been abandoned by adventurer parties time and again was, at its root, because she only knew Explosion Magic—and refused to learn anything else.

So she worried that once Eriri knew this, she would also be cast out of the party like before.

But even so, she had no intention of changing her resolve. She would never learn any magic other than Explosion.

"It's fine. Since you like Explosion Magic, then stick with it. If you can wipe out an enemy in one strike, why would you need any other spells?"

Eriri chuckled as she gently pinched Megumin's nervous little cheeks.

"Megumin, I support you, and I'll help you use Explosion Magic even better!"

Hearing Eriri's words, Megumin felt as if she had just heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

Looking up at Eriri's breathtakingly beautiful face, adorned with a gentle smile, Megumin's heart began to pound wildly again, her cheeks flushed red.

"Does that mean I can stay in the party?"

"Of course. Honestly, when I first invited you to eat with us, I already knew you could only use Explosion Magic."

Megumin didn't overthink it. After all, in Axel she was already somewhat famous, and the fact that she only used Explosion Magic was hardly a secret.

Just then, she suddenly realized that all her mana had been instantly restored, and her stamina fully recovered as well.

She was already able to cast Explosion Magic again.

"What's going on?"

Startled by her own condition, Megumin's face filled with shock.

Eriri only smiled, gently pinching Megumin's soft cheeks again.

"Don't be surprised. Didn't I say I'd help you use Explosion Magic better? This is the help I'm giving you."

Eriri's words made Megumin so excited that her breathing grew heavier.

"If it's this easy to restore my mana, does that mean I can fire Explosion Magic endlessly?!"

"This isn't just simple mana restoration. Check your adventurer card and look at your mana parameter."

Hearing this, Megumin's crimson eyes lit up. She stood upright on her own, then hurriedly pulled her adventurer card from her chest pocket.

When she checked the mana section, she found her parameter had increased significantly.

"T-this… this is amazing! So every time you restore my mana, my mana parameter increases?!"

The thought alone made her stare straight at Eriri, her crimson eyes glowing with blazing light.

"You guessed right. Do you like this kind of help?"

"I love it!"

Megumin nodded eagerly. How could she not? With this kind of support, she could already imagine a future where she continuously unleashed Explosion Magic.

"Alright then. Since I've seen your Explosion Magic, now I'll let you see mine."

Eriri shifted her gaze to the distance. Behind a mountain range, another Golem emerged. Deeper within, over a hundred more massive Golems dwelled.

Raising her right hand, Eriri aimed toward the Golems.

In an instant, heaven and earth shifted. The visual spectacle far outshone even Megumin's earlier casting.

"Explosion!"

With a calm shout, immense flames fell like divine judgment from the sky.

A deafening roar followed. The ground shook across a radius of a thousand kilometers, the blast wave tearing everything apart.

A colossal mushroom cloud rose from the ground.

If not for Eriri shielding them, Megumin and the others might have been blown away without a trace.

When the explosion ended and the mushroom cloud dispersed, the vast hilly region spanning thousands of kilometers had vanished, leaving behind a massive, bottomless crater.

The edge of the crater extended to within just a few meters before Eriri and her companions.

"This is my Explosion Magic. What do you think?"

Withdrawing her hand, Eriri looked with a smile at the utterly dumbfounded Megumin.

"That… that was really Explosion Magic?"

Megumin turned to her, her face frozen in disbelief.

Though she had confidence in Explosion Magic's power, she had never believed it capable of obliterating thousands of kilometers of mountains.

That was something beyond humanity—something akin to a divine miracle.

"Of course. What I cast was Explosion Magic, just… a little more powerful."

What Eriri had used was indeed Explosion Magic—just slightly optimized.

And under her perfect control, she had deliberately limited its destructive power to only this extent.

Otherwise, if she unleashed her full-strength Explosion Magic, not only would this entire universe of Konosuba be obliterated, but countless other close universes would be dragged into destruction as well.

Hearing Eriri's words, Megumin couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. At the same time, her obsession with Explosion Magic grew even more intense.

If only her own Explosion Magic could reach that level… then by dropping a single blast on the Demon King's castle, she could annihilate the Demon King instantly.

And then—she could even become the Demon King herself!

The very thought made Megumin tremble with excitement.

"Eriri, please! You must teach me to use Explosion Magic with that kind of power!"

"Don't worry. I'll make you into a true wielder of Explosion Magic~"

Receiving Eriri's promise, Megumin broke into the happiest smile she had ever worn.

Meanwhile, Lilian's livestream erupted in chaos thanks to Eriri's display of Explosion Magic.

[I knew it! Since Kashiwagi Eri-sensei is the Sawamura family's heiress, how could her power possibly be weak?]

[That strike was terrifying, and the visuals were insanely gorgeous!]

[I guarantee the Heiress wasn't even using her full strength.]

[Obviously. The Sawamura family has plenty of Level 10s under their command. There's no way their heiress isn't at least Level 10. Honestly, if someone said she was beyond the classification system—like Level 11 or Level 12—I'd believe it!]

[Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration…?]

[Not really. After all, the Power Level Classification system was created by the Sawamura family in the first place. It wouldn't be strange if higher levels exist.]

[That aside, Eriri-sama is unbelievably beautiful!]

[Agreed! Seeing her in a mage's outfit is hitting all the right spots for me. I hereby declare: I'm Eriri-sama's loyal dog!]

[By the way, I'm a girl!]

[So what? We're all girls here.]

[…]

...

With that one Explosion Magic, Eriri had wiped out every Golem across thousands of kilometers. Their commission was now fully completed.

By all rights, they should have returned to Axel.

But Eriri hadn't brought Ilina and Lilian out here just to finish a commission. She also wanted them to experience the feeling of combat.

In the Saekano world, they had almost no chances to participate in battles.

Since she had destroyed all the targets of the commission in one blow, the only option left was to find other monsters for Ilina and Lilian to subjugate themselves.

Thus, Eriri led the group around the abyss that had once been rolling hills, heading further afield.

Lilian kept the livestream running, letting tens of millions of viewers enjoy the sights of another world.

She occasionally answered questions in English, but she never once mentioned anything about "another world."

Originally, Megumin had found it odd that Lilian kept talking to her phone. But after Eriri explained, she quickly understood and even developed a deeper interest in livestreaming.

Before long, after leaving the hills, the group arrived at an endless grassy plain. A sea of green stretched as far as the eye could see.

At that moment, a lone rider on horseback approached at high speed.

Though still far away, Eriri instantly recognized the figure.

It was none other than Beldia, the Headless Knight—one of the Demon King's Generals.

At this point in the timeline, Yunyun had just left Axel, and Aqua had already been brought into this world by Kazuma.

According to the original plot, if Eriri hadn't interfered, Megumin would have joined Kazuma and Aqua's party in a few days.

This was Eriri's perfectly timed interception.

The divine radiance Aqua released when she descended into this world had caught the Demon King's attention, prompting him to send Beldia to investigate.

That was why Beldia now appeared near Axel.

As for why he hadn't continued straight toward the city but instead headed toward Eriri's group—it was obvious.

He had been drawn by the Explosion Magic Eriri had just unleashed.

Chapter 346: Don’t You Know Cerberus Is Delicious?

"..."

On the field, Rindo Kobayashi stared at the chimera in its cage, lost in thought.

Beside her, Tohru wielded tools and magic in tandem, swiftly dismembering the monster into parts, picking out only the finest cuts of meat.

She added some seasoning and tossed it into the pan to fry.

Considering the Commander wasn't too fond of her tail meat—and since this was an official match—the dragon maid restrained her impulse to slip a piece in.

Meanwhile, the Spirit of Origin only had to wave her hand a few times in the air before the massive kraken tentacle automatically sliced into countless small segments.

Another flick—

And the slime and impurities clinging to the surface vanished completely.

"Mm, better make some sashimi for my lord..."

Mio used her spiritual power to cut the tentacle pieces into slices as thin as cicada wings.

"Hmm... for garnish, maybe some dryad extract? And seasoning made from Cerberus?"

She pulled several suspicious-looking ingredients from the counter and blended them into dipping sauce.

Her hands never once touched the food—she handled it all with magic from start to finish.

Ten minutes later, she was already arranging the final plating.

"???"

"She's using magic?!"

The Totsuki chefs gawked in shock.

"Ahhhhhh—!!"

Nene Kinokuni had wanted to at least try handling her impossible ingredient.

But the moment she approached with a kitchen knife, the tentacle wrapped her up and swung her around in the air.

"Help!!! Help me!!!"

"Put her down."

The Angeloids maintaining order sliced the tentacle cleanly, catching Nene as she fell.

"If you believe processing the ingredient yourself is too risky, we can handle it for you."

The angel spoke earnestly.

"However, with the Kraken, using high-powered destructive weapons may ruin the flavor and affect the final dish's quality."

"So it's best if you do it personally."

"No way!!"

Nene collapsed to the floor, waving her hands frantically.

She figured keeping her life was more important.

"..."

"Um, Commander... may I ask..."

Watching both contestants fail to even process their ingredients, Hinako Inui lightly tapped Setsuna.

"Does the Starsea Empire normally eat like this? Isn't it a bit... too intense?"

Graduates had seen a lot in the culinary world, but this was truly beyond her experience.

After so many years cooking, today she had her horizons shattered.

"Mmm..."

"We are a multiversal empire. It's normal to have ingredients from other worlds."

Setsuna noticed her curiosity and casually explained.

"Chicken, duck, fish, and meat get boring after a while. Sometimes we want something different. Those magical beasts actually taste pretty good."

"Oh, but they do have mild toxins. You're ordinary humans without genetic modifications—don't eat them recklessly."

Back when Tohru was first recruited, the dragon maid often brought bizarre things from her home world to cook.

At first, Setsuna and the others had strongly resisted those grotesque alien ingredients.

But after several experiments, some dishes actually turned out appetizing.

Driven by curiosity, they tasted them—and immediately had to admit they were delicious.

The flavor of magical beasts was on a whole different level from ordinary game or poultry.

From then on—

Whenever they discovered a new monster or dangerous species, they would first see if it could be used as a magical material, then check if it had culinary value.

If neither, it was fed to Chiyou after conversion into a Honkai Beast.

"...Amazing. That dryad extract, and that... Cerberus seasoning, could I have some to study?"

Jun Shiomi was completely immersed in the joy of discovering new culinary horizons.

"Cerberus. A three-headed hound from hell. Sure, the Goblin Slayer world has plenty."

Setsuna nodded.

"...That can be used as seasoning?!"

Fumio spat out her tea.

"Rindo Kobayashi, unable to process her ingredient—disqualified!"

"Nene Kinokuni, defeated by her ingredient—disqualified!"

A few minutes later—

Kawashima Rei, holding the mic, incredulously announced the results of the first two matches.

Two of the Elite Ten, heavily relied upon by Totsuki, were the first to fall—defeated by the Starsea Empire's advanced ingredients.

"..."

"Looks like we'll have to step it up."

Not far away, Erina, Alice, and Momo grew tense as they continued cooking.

After a moment of shock, they bent down and focused on their dishes.

The themes were drawn by lottery, from ingredients submitted by both sides.

Some had the bad luck of pulling bizarre items. Others, fortunately, drew more conventional ones.

"Phew—thank goodness."

Fumio sighed in relief.

"Erina got shrimp dumplings? Momo's is tofu? Hmm... Alice is competing in the dark cuisine round?..."

"These topics are at least within their skill sets. They shouldn't have trouble handling them."

If it turned into a clean 5–0 wipeout, that would be humiliating for Totsuki. From the looks of it now, there was still hope to claw back a win.

"That's only because Tohru went easy."

Grey waved dismissively.

"If she'd used a little magic, you'd all be drawing things like forest trolls, harpies, or wyverns."

"But for this kind of small match, we can't be bothered with tricks like that~"

"???"

The Totsuki graduates were dumbfounded.

And silently thankful they had been smart enough not to act as recklessly as their juniors.

"..."

Looking back to the stage—

The three remaining matchups seemed relatively normal.

Erina was carefully preparing lobster.

The quality of the ingredients provided by the Starsea Empire far surpassed even the Totsuki conglomerate's supply, leaving her astonished.

"Ingredients of this caliber... they're rare..."

She quietly resolved to showcase her full strength.

With the God's Tongue, she was confident her dish would be one in a million.

Momo's duel with Ning Hai was centered on tofu.

She took a block of fresh tofu, placed it in a clean bowl, and gently mashed it with a spoon.

Then she blended fresh strawberries into puree, added milk, and simmered on low heat, gradually folding the tofu in.

She poured it into molds to set, delicately carving the surface as though crafting a piece of art.

"...Strawberry tofu mousse?"

Setsuna raised a brow in surprise.

As expected, the Fourth Seat's specialty was desserts. Tofu was no challenge for her.

Alice, meanwhile, was still puzzling over her dark cuisine approach. She tinkered with her machines, occasionally producing strange mixtures of questionable appearance.

Across from her—

Her opponent's work was... concerning.

The cat-eared maid hummed a tune while baking pies, then pulled out several dried salted fish from the fridge, chopping off their heads and planting them upright in the pies.

"Hmph! Victorious actually suggested I sign up for the dark cuisine match? And said I should just do my thing?!"

"My dishes aren't bad at all! Alice's will definitely taste worse than mine..."

"..."

Thinking of having to eat Cheshire's dish, the shipgirls and the ahoge king at the judges' table all went pale.

Meanwhile, Ning Hai had taken the rare step of making tofu from scratch.

She ground soaked black soybeans and yellow soybeans into soy milk, filtered, boiled, and added a touch of lemon juice.

Using a lard board as separator, she poured alternating layers of black tofu and white tofu into a mold.

At the base, she added threads, then sealed it with a lid.

And waited quietly for it to set.

"?"

Staring at the alternating black-and-white tofu and the unusual method, even the graduates and Momo grew curious.

To Setsuna, however, the dish gave him an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

He was sure he had seen it somewhere before.

"You're making... a black-and-white tofu fusion dish?"

A purple-haired little loli asked uncertainly.

"...Mhm."

Ning Hai nodded.

"What I'm making is a dish I just learned recently from another world's records."

"—Grand Sorcerer Panda Mapo Tofu!!"

"???"

"Mapo tofu? Panda? Sorcerer?"

The Totsuki students were baffled.

The shipgirls, meanwhile, slapped their foreheads:

"What the hell?! You're crossing worlds here!!!"

...

After Rindo Kobayashi and Nene Kinokuni forfeited—

Tohru and Mio brought up their dishes.

"Commander, please enjoy~ Ehehe!"

"And you too—these are Starsea Empire's special ingredients. Try them."

"..."

"Wait... is this really edible?"

The Totsuki graduates stared at the plates, curious but hesitant.

At first glance, the finished dishes weren't so terrifying.

Tohru's was a simple pan-fried meat dish, paired with some unknown sauce and peculiar sides.

It didn't look much different from a steak.

Mio's kraken sashimi resembled restaurant octopus sashimi.

The plating and knife work were as exquisite as her appearance.

—The Spirit of Origin hadn't used a single kitchen tool. She had cooked everything entirely with her spiritual power.

But recalling what those ingredients had looked like earlier, the onlookers couldn't help but shiver.

"Relax. I removed all the toxins. It's absolutely better than anything you've eaten before."

"This is the difference in ingredient tiers."

Tohru even offered a plate to Rindo.

"Here, yours. See for yourself what our cooking is like."

"Me?"

Rindo and Nene braced themselves, accepting a portion.

They cautiously cut off a small piece and placed it in their mouths.

"!"

An indescribable flavor bloomed instantly.

The Totsuki chefs had tasted and cooked most of the world's ingredients—but these otherworldly magical beasts were entirely new territory.

Tohru had used only the simplest cooking method. The doneness was perfect, maintaining the meat's tenderness with just a hint of charred crispness.

Rich, aromatic, layered—the depth of flavor outstripped anything Earth's greatest seasoning masters could achieve.

And this was merely the ingredient's natural taste.

"Ah!!—"

In an instant, Setsuna seemed to witness a hallucination.

The two girls shone with golden light, their clothes bursting apart.

Just like in Food Wars, where eating good food triggered explosive reactions.

Even the judges weren't spared—both chefs blushed, letting out strange sounds.

"Ah... this is true otherworldly flavor..."

Rindo clutched her chest, utterly intoxicated.

"Though the cooking itself was simple, the sheer quality of the ingredient more than made up for any lack of technique..."

"Chimera... as expected, the rarer the ingredient, the finer the taste."

"This flavor, this flavor... ah~~"

Their expressions twisted strangely.

Soon they couldn't even stand, collapsing to their knees, panting, with blissful dazed looks.

Setsuna had only ever seen such faces on the Eternal Snowfall.

"???"

"Wait, Tohru—you put something in there?"

He looked at the dragon maid in confusion.

"Hey?!"

"It's just grilled meat—was this really necessary?!"

"Why do they look like they've been partying for days?!"

Even Tohru was dumbstruck, never expecting her dish to have such power.

"..."

"Probably just the Shokugeki world's inherent skill."

Grey shrugged, offering the only explanation.

Chefs there were hypersensitive to taste. Eating delicious food hit them like drugs.

In the original story, every match had judges exploding clothes several times—regardless of gender.

The dishes were basically full of "stimulants." Yep.

"..."

After a while—

Rindo and Nene finally managed to sit up.

"Delicious."

The red-haired girl licked her lips, still craving more.

"Such unique ingredients. I've never seen anything like them in our world."

"To turn meat like that into cuisine... remarkable."

Nene rested her chin in her hand, lost in thought.

Then, with a seeking look, she turned to Setsuna:

"Um... may I learn some of this cuisine? Especially that sashimi?"

"Of course. When you get back, have the Angeloids teach you how to handle magical beasts."

Setsuna waved casually.

The two nodded in acceptance and stepped down.

Tohru beamed with pride over her achievement.

The remaining contestants continued working diligently.

Erina mixed starch with wheat flour, kneading the dough carefully, then prepared her filling…

A premium Norway lobster was wrapped in a translucent skin, then fried lightly, steamed, and finally plated with meticulous sauces and garnishes.

Her cooking was intricate.

Every motion was graceful, a pleasure to watch.

About half an hour later—

Erina carried her dish to Setsuna and the judges.

"Norway Lobster Dumplings. Please enjoy."

Shua—

As the lid lifted, steam billowed.

Two golden dumplings lay on the plate, sprinkled with unknown spices, accompanied by a touch of vegetables for color.

From plating to aroma, there wasn't a single flaw.

Raised among haute cuisine, Erina's cooking was always elaborate and refined.

Setsuna cut off a piece, chewed, and savored quietly.

He gave a slight nod.

"Not bad."

Even with ordinary ingredients, Erina had brought conventional cooking to its peak.

Both texture and flavor were near perfection.

"A very refined dish. Young lady, your skills are impressive."

Richelieu added her praise.

"Phew..."

Receiving affirmation from both Setsuna and the shipgirls, Erina exhaled in relief.

The Totsuki graduates also gave unanimous approval.

The God's Tongue's technique was flawless—as long as she didn't face absurd ingredients like Rindo or Nene had, her dishes were Totsuki's finest.

Thinking this, she turned toward her opponent: the Herrscher of Sentience.

Senti was staring blankly at the kitchen tools.

She had tasted plenty of fine food in the Starsea Empire.

But cooking it herself? That was another matter.

She tried replicating some dishes from Fu Hua's memories, but nothing satisfied her.

Minute by minute, the deadline loomed closer.

"She's still not starting? Even if she kneaded dough now, she wouldn't have time to finish…"

Hinako leaned closer to Setsuna, whispering.

"Let her be."

Setsuna didn't mind.

As a judge, he cared little for the outcome. He was here purely for entertainment.

Who won or lost didn't matter—eventually, all of them would be his chefs in the Starsea Empire.

As for their rivalry…

If it made them happy, so be it.

In the end, they'd all obediently cook for him anyway.

"...Crap."

Remembering she'd impulsively signed up and might get spanked if she lost, Senti slapped her forehead.

She sat, pondering.

"Uh... uh… hhh... Qun..."

"Wait, I've got it!"

A flash of inspiration struck. She leapt up, grabbed a pack of frozen dumplings from the fridge, thawed them in hot water, and tossed them straight into the fryer.

"?"

The judges and Erina were baffled.

Starsea Empire instant foods were indeed higher quality than elsewhere—but they could never compare to freshly cooked cuisine.

Using frozen food in a high-level cooking duel was like serving instant ramen at a Michelin-star restaurant.

"Hey!"

When the dumplings were done, Senti scooped them onto a plate.

No plating. No garnish—just some chopped tomatoes and cucumbers thrown on carelessly.

"Finished!"

"The Herrscher of Sentience's special fried dumplings!"

"The most delicious food in the universe!"

She puffed out her nonexistent chest proudly, placing the dish before the judges.

"...Eh?"

Hinako leaned forward.

Some dumplings were over-fried, nearly blackened; others were undercooked.

It looked sloppy.

"..."

Erina grew tense. After seeing Tohru and Mio earlier, she suspected Senti had some hidden trump card.

Surely it wasn't this simple.

But no matter how she thought about it, everything seemed ordinary—common ingredients, no strange tricks.

Frozen food could never rival her hand-made dumplings.

"We'll try it, then."

Hinako, Fumio, and Dojima lifted a piece each, tasting.

The moment it touched their tongues, their brows furrowed.

"The oil isn't drained... no seasoning..."

"Some undercooked, some burnt..."

Compared to Erina's refined dish, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Still, not wanting to offend anyone so soon, Fumio softened her words:

"There's a lot of room for improvement..."

"No, you're wrong."

Senti wagged her finger smugly.

"This is the most delicious thing you've ever eaten. No dish in the world compares."

"The Herrscher of Sentience's culinary skill is unmatched in the universe."

"..."

"Ah... uh... oh!!"

The three blinked, their minds dazed, before savoring again.

And suddenly, enlightenment struck:

"Yes!!! This is the most delicious dumpling dish in the entire world—no, the entire universe!!!"

"Nothing can ever compare!!!"

Chapter 345: Old Man, Didn't Expect This—This Is How I Win

Exhaustion weighed heavily in Venti's eyes.

Exhaustion? How many years had it been since he last felt it? To unleash his power without restraint, driving every divine faculty within him at any cost…

The last time he had been this utterly drained, body and soul, was before he ever wore the crown.

Now, ten thousand years later, that memory returned within his body.

Even at the level of Super God, infinite power was impossible. His strength recovered swiftly, yet never fast enough to keep up with the rate at which he expended it.

To gods below the Almighty, their power seemed infinite. But it was not true infinity—it was only recovery so rapid that to mortals it seemed endless, like the fabled perpetual motion.

Above Almighty God, however, power truly became inexhaustible.

But inexhaustible did not mean without limit.

It was like a spring. Drain the pool dry, and though the source would continue to flow, filling it again would take a long, long time.

Venti knocked aside Zhongli's spear, then gathered every last drop of his strength into the Skyward Pride.

Hum—

The focus of a Super God's entire power was no less than self-detonation. The tidal wave of force displaced the Dimensional Gap itself, leaving behind an empty void where even dimensional energy was forced aside.

"Old man, this will be my last strike," Venti said wearily, gripping the Skyward Pride in both hands. The wounds across his body remained unhealed.

Wounds dealt by Pseudo Star Maps could not be mended in short order. Without intervention by another wielder of such a creation, recovery was almost impossible.

"If an ordinary Almighty God were wounded by a Pseudo Star Map, they might never heal without help. That's the price."

He smiled faintly. "This move, I borrowed from my little brother Odin. It carries the certainty of a strike that cannot miss."

In Zhongli's hands, the Vortex Vanquisher also flared, channeling all of his might.

Hum—

The overwhelming force carved out another hollow void in the Dimensional Gap.

"Certain to hit, is it? Odin's Pseudo Star Map, Asgard, embodies a cosmology where every strike lands true. Given your bond with him, it's no surprise he let you glimpse his cosmology."

"I sensed it long ago—that aura of another cosmology lingering around you. You've grasped at least a fragment of another cosmology ."

"So this is your trump card?"

Even Zhongli could not be sure he could withstand it. Though it was but a fragment, touched by the power of another Pseudo Star Map, it carried the force of a negative cosmology.

"How about it? Surprised?" Venti drew a deep breath, his smile as roguish as ever.

Zhongli's gaze was grave. "Indeed, I am."

But Barbatos, if this is all—then even should you wound me, you will still fall.

I have not yet revealed my true trump card. You, however, are already forced to play yours.

One only reveals their last hand when their strength is nearly spent.

"Then take it, old man… If this strike cannot bring you down, I will admit defeat."

"Hard as it is to accept… I've given everything I have."

With his words, dazzling light erupted along the Skyward Pride. In the next instant, the full might of a Super God condensed into a single point.

It was not Venti who charged toward Zhongli—it was as though Zhongli himself was drawn to the blade.

Zhongli's divine soul trembled, his face tightening. His body, his soul, his will—each was locked upon by this unavoidable strike.

This certainty to hit was no mere concept, no mere law. It was something beyond laws, equal in rank to Principle.

The force carried the threat of death. Not certain annihilation, but certain grievous harm if struck.

In response, Zhongli's spear burst forth with the profound essence of his Pseudo Star Map.

[Celestial Equator]

And beyond it, he drew upon another force—the cosmology of the world of the dead, merging into one.

"Barbatos, don't forget—my Liyue Divine Collective holds two cosmologies. And my bond with Hu Tao is far deeper than yours with Odin. From the very start, our Pseudo Star Maps have complemented one another, reinforcing each other's might."

Zhongli's Vortex Vanquisher pierced first, driving through Venti's chest. Yet at the same moment, Venti poured everything into thrusting the Skyward Pride into Zhongli's chest as well.

Zhongli's golden pupils contracted, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

Venti raised his head, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. He coughed up a mouthful of golden blood, his hands clutching the hilt as he pushed the Skyward Pride deeper, until the blade was buried fully within.

Meanwhile, the shaft of the Vortex Vanquisher pressed even further into his pierced chest.

"Heh… old man, you didn't expect me to go this far, did you? This time, you've lost."

As he spoke, Venti's teal eyes turned to gold. Clock markings appeared within his pupils, the hands spinning at impossible speed.

"This is… the Principle of Time?"

Zhongli realized it too late.

[The wind brings seeds of stories, and time makes them sprout]

Dong! Dong! Dong—

Bells tolled as golden threads filled the arena.

The threads outlined an enormous clock face, with Zhongli and Venti locked at its center.

The hands of the clock turned in perfect rhythm with those within Venti's eyes.

[Secret of Time: The Second Hand's Halt]

Hum~

The aura of Principle engulfed the arena. In that instant, time itself ceased.

Of course, ceased was not absolute. Zhongli's resistance slowed the effect, turning total stoppage into sluggish drag.

But even so, his movements slowed to a crawl, like a snail.

[Secret of Time: The Hour Hand's Reversal]

Venti's wounds began knitting closed at astounding speed. Even the chest wound carved by the Vortex Vanquisher mended, though not perfectly.

[Secret of Time: The Minute Hand's Disorder]

Venti poured out every drop of his origin of time, exhausting himself utterly, before finally pulling free the Skyward Pride.

"Old man, heh… didn't expect this, did you? This is my true trump card."

"I know how strong you are. I know you, too, hold a trump card. But from the very start, you thought yourself stronger than me. You never underestimated me, but still—you made this mistake."

"All through our battle, I pushed you to divide your focus, while I laid the threads of time in secret."

"Deep down, you never believed I could wield power linked to something greater."

"If you had guarded against it, no matter how I struggled, my chance of victory would have been slim."

Venti pressed his hands together lightly.

"After this, no grudges allowed, alright? Now… the finishing blow."

[Time is the final trial of all things]

Dong, dong, dong—

The tolling quickened. The hands of the golden clock spun madly, whirling into frenzy…

Crack, crack, crack—

Sound? No—it was not sound, but the phenomenon of time's clockface made manifest. The hands spun wildly, disrupting concepts imbued with the aura of Principle. The consequence of such disruption was the shattering of concepts themselves.

Time and space were the two most vital elements of existence, the pillars that constructed a universe.

Zhongli felt all of his power wavering, slipping from his control. The foundation of his existence trembled, leaving him powerless to resist.

He did not feel true fear. This state shook his existence, yes, but it was not enough to bring him death.

Yet the paralysis it induced left him unable to move, as if for a moment he had been dragged back ten thousand years, to his most worn and fragile state.

"The Principle of Time… Lady Istaroth's gift. To think that what once seemed but a small blessing would become your greatest trump card."

"I truly did not expect this. I have lost, and I yield."

A trace of the aura of Principle within time's origin was not enough to subdue him. That, he could have countered directly.

But a clockface of such immense scale, woven entirely from time's threads, could bind him like the great formation arrays of Liyue.

So Barbatos had been weaving it from the very start—and he had never noticed.

...

Dong—

With the tolling bell, the Gift Game ended. The power of Human Principle descended, erasing every trace of change within the arena.

In a flash of white light, all was restored to its original state. Not even a blade of grass had been harmed.

Zhongli and Venti stood battered but upright, bathed in the dawn's glow.

Seeing the white light sweep past, Venti let out a heartfelt sigh.

"This is the true might of the Principle of Time. In an instant, restoring the divine realms of more than a dozen great universes to how they were before battle."

"Even I can only rewind time within a single great universe."

"The river of time… vast, boundless, its end forever unseen."

Zhongli folded his hands behind his back. His wounds had already been healed by the passing of time's Principle.

"The river of time…"

He could glimpse its source, the Temple of Time, but he could never reach it. Not even step into its current.

To enter the river of time was to endure the crushing weight of the entire Principle of Time.

This was not the tributary streams of time within a great universe.

To step into the true river meant being able to return to Teyvat's past—even to the dawn of its first continent.

But the paradoxes borne from such an act would be unbearable. The fates of countless ascended gods would shift, and annexed worlds would change. The cause-and-effect was unfathomable.

Even if he managed only a few hundred years within, before he could look back, he would be crushed into dust by infinite contradiction.

And this without the Ruler of Time lifting a hand.

"Such terrifying power…" Zhongli murmured, a trace of envy in his voice.

The weight of one's foundations grew ever clearer the further one advanced.

To be born with it was to always have it. To lack it from the start meant it would likely never come.

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, once the incarnation of the world tree that sustained Teyvat's ley lines—such a unique origin naturally brought her to embody Truth itself.

Barbatos, too, bore ties with the Ruler of Time. The gift he once received had now become a weapon to restrain gods of equal rank.

He, Rex Lapis, stood balanced. His foundations were deep, yes—but not in any way singular. None could easily restrain him, but he himself held no weapon capable of overwhelming others.

Venti grinned roguishly. "Heh, honestly, if you hadn't overlooked this one point, old man, I'd never have beaten you."

Zhongli shook his head. "A loss is a loss. That is fact."

If this had been a battle to the death, he would already have been grievously wounded. Not slain, but scarred.

For leaders of divine collectives, even in life-or-death struggle, killing one another outright was near impossible.

At that moment, a lively voice rang out…

"Hahaha! What a terrifying battle, Lord Zhongli, Lord Venti!"

"Watching from outside, even I was trembling."

"I had wagered on Lord Zhongli's victory… but in the end, it was Lord Venti who triumphed."

Tet clapped her hands, then raised both arms high in celebration.

"As the chief referee of this Gift Game, I now declare—the victor of the first round of the Solar Sovereignty War is: the highest leader of Mondstadt's divine collective! Lord of Hope and Freedom—Barbatos!"

With Tet's proclamation, the concept of the game resonated with Pan-Human History.

Immediately, the Sagittarius of Solar Sovereignty, long awaiting the dawn's light, descended before Venti under the blessing of Pan-Human History.

From the Solar Sovereignty radiated the intertwined forces of Pan-Human History and Human Principle.

Just feeling this aura, whether Zhongli, Venti, Tet, or any of the gods witnessing the Solar Sovereignty War—they all felt as though crushed beneath the weight of endless civilizations, endless worlds.

It was like a tiny ant daring to raise its head to the eternal sun in the sky. A single ray of its brilliance could wipe them away entirely.

Gulp…

Venti slowly extended his hand. The card formed by the Solar Sovereignty floated down into his palm.

In that instant, through the Solar Sovereignty, Venti glimpsed a corner of the boundless expanse of Pan-Human History. Innumerable civilizations unfolded before his eyes.

The power of Pan-Human History descended instantly, resonating with the legacy of Sagittarius.

Whoosh—

The might of Pan-Human History erupted within his body, and Venti's aura surged at an unimaginable rate.

Tenfold universes.

Fiftyfold universes.

A hundredfold universes.

Five hundredfold universes.

A thousandfold universes.

Two thousandfold universes.

At last, it halted at two thousand three hundredfold universes.

Behind Venti, the Solar Sovereignty manifested as a blazing corona. In his hands appeared a divine bow of golden radiance—the inheritance of Sagittarius.

The corona was the Solar Sovereignty, and the golden bow was the Sagittarius inheritance.

The Solar Sovereignty alone held the power of two thousandfold universes, while the Sagittarius inheritance added another three hundredfold.

Together, their mass totaled two thousand three hundredfold universes—already at the level of high-tier strong-universe.

To know: ten thousandfold universes marked the threshold of transcendent-universe.

A complete Solar Sovereignty wielded mid-tier transcendent-universe strength, infused with a fragment of Super-Primeval God's power.

Quantified, it equaled nearly one-ninth of Teyvat's present mass.

Even divided into twenty-four parts, with twenty-four star sign legacies besides, each fragment was immense beyond measure.

Yet this was still external power. To wield the Solar Sovereignty did not mean it belonged entirely to one god.

Most important of all, the Solar Sovereignty's strength grew with the strength of Pan-Human History itself.

Once Teyvat ascended to true multiverse, each fragment of Solar Sovereignty would reach transcendent-universe might.

"So strong… it's absurdly strong! I feel as though I can do anything!" Venti's face was filled with awe and disbelief.

Chapter 85: Will You Become This Vessel's Subject?

The morning sunlight fell upon the girl's tightly shut eyes. Darkness gave way to a faint crimson glow. Slowly, she opened her drowsy eyes, still not fully awake.

A familiar ceiling… That was her first thought.

Am I in the castle? she asked herself, mind hazy from just waking. After a pause, she realized the truth.

"The second day already…"

Memories of yesterday surged back. The Holy Grail War… had ended. Today marked the first day after its conclusion.

A warm bed, fresh sunlight, and a familiar bedroom—nothing seemed to have changed.

No… not unchanged.

She shifted lazily beneath the covers, then gently pulled them aside, sitting up. Something came to mind… she moved the blanket away, revealing her legs beneath the nightgown.

"…Things have already changed."

She whispered softly, her hands brushing over her legs that now carried sensation. The feeling was wondrous. For most people it was something natural from birth, yet for her, now, it felt precious beyond words.

Of course… there was a price. She was no longer a magus, but only an ordinary girl. At the thought, she felt a faint sense of daze.

Right… what about her?

Suddenly recalling someone, she looked about the room in a fluster—until she spotted a figure by the window. That violet silhouette knelt quietly before the floor-to-ceiling window.

Facing away from her, the woman sat before the rising sun. Its warm radiance cloaked her in a veil of gold. Her violet hair shimmered dreamily in the light, the long sleeves and hem of her kimono trailing smoothly upon the floor, ethereal as a celestial maiden.

"Hah…"

Fiore exhaled in relief. She had feared the woman had left quietly while she slept, departing without even a final farewell.

Staring at the beautiful figure bathed in sunlight, she carefully left the bed. Almost instinctively she reached for a wheelchair, before chiding herself. Sitting at the bed's edge, she placed her feet on the carpet and, unsteady but determined, stepped slowly toward the other's side.

She drew closer, tucking in her legs to sit beside her. Gazing intently, she admired the delicate profile of the woman's face, eyes gently closed.

Such flawless skin… soft and radiant. Fiore did not know her true age, but as a god, she must be old beyond imagining. Yet here she appeared no more than twenty, like a big sister. Fiore herself had just turned nineteen.

Though she seemed young, at times she carried a suppressive majesty. Perhaps that was true charm.

"…Won't you sleep a little longer?"

The woman suddenly spoke, eyes still closed, as though she had known all along that Fiore had sat beside her. The calm tone was reassuring.

"Mm… if I slept longer… I might miss my chance to see you, Shogun."

Fiore half-jested.

"Only the lift of an eye separates us. Why speak of missing me?"

"…Just now, I thought you were already gone. My heart felt empty in that instant… so helpless."

At her quiet words, the Shogun finally opened her eyes. Violet pupils reflected the glow outside as she turned to look at the girl hugging her knees beside her.

"Are you truly so reluctant to part with me?"

The words sounded strange, but from the Shogun's lips, they seemed natural, almost as if seeking some answer.

"Of course… I can't bear it. But… this is something that must happen, isn't it? You must return."

Her lips trembled as she spoke, as if barely holding back sobs.

"Do not grieve. Do you remember what I once told you? All banquets must end. What matters is the bond and memories we share."

"Mm… sob… I… I'm not grieving…"

Her tears only welled more at those words.

"…You're crying again. When we first met… I never knew you were such a little crybaby."

The Shogun's words carried a gentle fondness, like an older sister's affection. In front of others, Fiore forced herself to be strong, yet before her, she revealed all her weaknesses without concealment.

"Sob… When I was a child, whenever a pet of mine died in front of me, I would cry all night, crying until I fell asleep."

The girl spoke while wiping her tears, a small smile on her face as she recalled her past. The Shogun sat quietly beside her, simply listening.

"Shogun…"

"Mm?"

"You… you're not a Heroic Spirit… are you?"

The girl still hadn't completely calmed down. Her voice carried a cute, nasal tone, her eyes still red. She had realized this truth long ago.

"How rude… This vessel is still in the prime of youth. How could it be called a Heroic Spirit?"

The Shogun turned her head, looking at the girl with a hint of puzzlement. Heroic Spirits were those already deceased—was the girl calling her dead?

"Because… all Servants summoned by the Grail are once-dead heroes or famous figures."

Fiore gave a bitter smile, explaining to her.

"I see… I am not a Heroic Spirit. I was simply drawn here by your chant at that time. The moment I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was you."

That was how she explained it—a more pleasant version of the truth. She couldn't exactly say that she and Ei had been testing a new use of Musou Isshin, accidentally opened a rift, and got lost here.

"Hehe…"

The girl covered her mouth and laughed, like the sound of silver bells, quietly reaching the Shogun's ears.

"Is that funny?"

The Shogun asked, puzzled.

"No… I just think… it's so very much your style, Shogun… hah…"

My style…? Even she herself didn't know what her style was.

"…" ×2

Once again, the two fell silent in the morning light. Yet the silence was not awkward in the slightest.

"What are your plans for the future?"

The Shogun broke the silence with a question.

"Eh? The future? Mm… maybe just… becoming a simple… young lady."

Caules would inherit the family headship. Having lost her magic circuits, Fiore would have to leave the world of magecraft and return to a normal life. Perhaps she would even go to university?

"That suits you…"

The Shogun answered.

"Mm~ Shogun, are you teasing me?"

The girl puffed out her cheeks adorably, leaning closer to sit directly in front of her, speaking with a slightly pouty tone.

"No… why would you think so?"

The Shogun shook her head.

"I just feel… if things really became like that, people might say I'm spoiled… especially in college."

Fiore seemed troubled. She had truly changed. Speaking with the Shogun like this, openly and freely, gave her the lively air of someone her own age.

"Do such worries trouble you? I've never attended school, so I may not give you a reliable answer. But… why care about others' eyes? By then, you'll already be used to your new life. Perhaps you'll even find a lifelong partner."

"...Mm."

Hearing these words, Fiore felt a strange ache in her heart. A partner… With the Shogun, she needed no one else. But the Shogun could not stay by her forever. In the future she would have to walk her path alone. Yet recalling these words might give her strength.

These were the Shogun's heartfelt words to Fiore, meant to help her grow. The road ahead would be for the girl to explore herself. Meeting her had been a stroke of fortune.

"Hah… This vessel must now take its leave."

The Shogun rose, informing her softly.

"!"

Fiore's head snapped up at the words. Flustered, she tried to stand, but her legs were still weak, and she collapsed back down.

Quick as lightning, the Shogun caught her.

"Your legs are still unsteady. Rest more."

She supported her as she spoke.

Fiore suppressed the sour ache rising in her heart. Instead, she threw her arms around the Shogun's waist, pressing her head into her embrace with longing, as if not wanting her to leave. Yet her hands dared not hold tightly, caught between desire and restraint.

The Shogun let her be, looking down at the girl slightly shorter than herself. Her hand hovered above the girl's head for a moment, hesitating. Then, as if realizing something, she resumed the motion, gently stroking the soft hair in comfort.

"You… would you be willing to become this vessel's subject?"

At last she asked the question she had long pondered, her tone soft and warm.

Nestled in her arms, the girl gave a muffled nod, lifting her tear-streaked face that looked like a little cat's. She nodded again.

"I'm willing… I'm willing!"

"In that case… Fiore, you have become this vessel's subject. You will forever receive the protection of the God of Eternity."

At that moment, she raised her hand, gathering particles of thunderlight in her palm, shaping them into something.

"I have witnessed your longing for a wish. Today, I shall grant you this, as a token of our parting."

She opened her hand. Resting upon her palm was a brand-new Electro Vision—a delicate violet gem, gleaming like a pendant, set in a mysterious golden frame. She extended it toward the girl.

"This is…?"

Fiore cupped the Vision carefully in both hands, studying it with confusion.

"A Vision. In Teyvat… only those acknowledged by the gaze of the gods may receive such a gift. I saw your form as you pursued your wish. Today, I grant this to you as my gift."

"A gift from you, Shogun… I will treasure it dearly. Thank you."

Fiore held the Vision against her chest like a precious treasure, answering with sincerity.

"Good. When the Vision shines, it will have recognized you. Then you shall wield elemental power. But remember—never use it recklessly, lest you bring calamity upon yourself."

The Shogun warned for her safety. This was not Teyvat. Here, elemental power should not be revealed before others.

"I understand… I won't misuse it. I will always keep your words in my heart."

Hearing her promise, the Shogun nodded in relief. She then drew Musou Isshin, pressing its blade lightly against the air. The void in the room split open, revealing a narrow rift just large enough for one to pass through, just like before.

"Shogun… could you… close your eyes? I also have something important… to give you///."

Fiore's face flushed scarlet, yet she gathered her courage to speak to the gentle goddess before her. Perhaps the other would be angry, but she no longer cared.

"…Only to close my eyes?"

The Shogun obediently shut her eyes.

Seeing this, Fiore tiptoed forward until she stood right before her. Leaning up, she pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

[!]

Even Ei, watching from within, could not hold back—What?! She actually kissed her?!

After a pause, she calmed her faint jealousy.

Forget it… just a single kiss. Hardly worth fussing over. Though she would never let some pig steal her cabbage… if the other girl was also a cabbage, then perhaps it was barely acceptable.

"!"

The Shogun felt the warmth on her lips, eyes snapping open as she froze, staring at the girl whose face was flushed red. Had she… been kissed?

She was not angry. Instead, she was a little dazed, her expression soft and blank, almost endearing.

"You… this is…"

She asked hesitantly.

"This is… my gift to you. Don't you like it, Shogun?"

Fiore's voice was timid, shy, like a kitten.

"Hah… Why would I dislike it? It is only… the first time I've received such a gift, so I am unaccustomed. But your heart—I accept it."

The Shogun shook her head gently, then glanced toward the rift.

"Then… today we part ways. Until we meet again, my subject."

Fiore had now become her subject, sheltered beneath her protection. That meant Inazuma was her second home. When the time came, she would bring her back—whether to live in Inazuma forever or only to visit, it mattered not. But that would be for the future.

"Mm… Shogun… please take care on your journey."

Though reluctant, Fiore accepted it. This day was always bound to come. Now, she would see her off with her most beautiful smile, sending away the one dearest to her heart.

The Shogun gave a faint nod. Her body gradually dissolved into violet motes of light, drifting into the rift. In the next moment, the gap sealed completely, leaving only the girl behind, clutching the Vision.

In the silence… the Vision she held so dearly began to glow faintly with violet light, revealing the mark of Electro.

Chapter 98: Satsuki’s Intervention

Kiritsugu was also known as the "Magus Killer."

This meant that, in his past career, he had fought against more magi than most ordinary people could ever hope to even meet in their entire lives.

Through these experiences, he discovered the greatest weakness of magi: the carelessness born of arrogance.

When facing combat, they focused only on magecraft. As a result, they underestimated purely physical attacks that did not rely on magecraft, dismissing them as secondary threats.

However, when a magus was not careless and had fully prepared, Kiritsugu had virtually no means of gravely injuring them in direct confrontation—except by using the "Origin Bullet."

Kayneth was without question the strongest magus in direct combat Kiritsugu had ever faced. Yet that was not the most fatal part of the situation.

—Because his opponent also had a Lancer at his side.

At the very instant he leapt out of a blasted hole—

A golden spear shot out from the void, slashing straight toward his back.

Kiritsugu had never before felt death so close.

He was neither a hero nor a warrior, but a killer. He had neither the courage nor the pride to gamble his life against another. His goal was always to carefully, cautiously secure victory and the right to survive with the smallest possible risk.

But this time, he had made himself the bait to lure in the enemy.

Even with anticipation, even after activating his Time Manipulation at triple acceleration in the critical moment, the scorching flames trailing the golden spear still set his side ablaze.

In that life-or-death instant, Kiritsugu hurled a grenade toward Kayneth while rolling tactically into the corridor outside, extinguishing the flames as he put as much distance as possible between himself and Lancer.

Such movements, if against a Servant alone, would have been meaningless.

Servants were far too fast for ordinary humans. Such maneuvering would not even delay death by a few milliseconds.

But this time, his opponent was not alone.

"Hm?"

Lancer was slightly surprised that his foe managed to evade his thrust with such speed. Then he noticed the grenade flying toward Kayneth.

Given the overwhelming difference in power, Lancer chose not to pursue Kiritsugu, who had barely opened a ten-meter gap. To prevent his Master from being dragged into a suicidal exchange, he instead swung his spear and knocked the grenade away.

And just as he thought, with a simple sweep of his golden spear, the grenade was batted out through a window.

It seemed Kiritsugu's plan had been instantly foiled.

From a distance, Kiritsugu sighed.

Servants truly were beings beyond the reach of ordinary men. If his opponent had wanted to kill him, he could have died multiple times in just that instant.

Servants were the essence of history, the embodiment of myth, the prototype of the Third Magic in the present world.

Before such a great existence, Kiritsugu, as a mere human, had no way to fight directly.

For an ordinary man, whether a Servant's strength was great or small was meaningless. Even the weakest elephant could crush an ant without effort.

Thus, from the moment his enemies breached the door, he had already set his strategy.

—He had to sever the magical connection between the Master and Servant. And he already had the means to do so.

"I should be just outside the blast radius by now."

Kiritsugu silently counted the seconds. Then, from around a corner glowing faintly with golden light, he stepped out.

Before him stood Lancer, already fading into particles, his face frozen in surprise.

"You…"

So it worked.

Even as backlash from magecraft tore at him, a faint smile appeared on Kiritsugu's face.

Lancer's magical energy had been supplied remotely by someone hidden in the shadows. While such transmission was safe, it was also extremely vulnerable to interference. That was Lancer's weakness.

An Origin Bullet made severing that magical supply all too easy.

That was the weak point he had aimed for.

"Ahhhhhh—!"

Behind Lancer, Kayneth screamed in unbearable agony.

He had not been careless. He had laid Lancer in ambush below as a backup, while relying on the protection of his Moon Spirit Fluid to force this little rat out of hiding.

For an opponent who had lost the protection of his Servant, and who was nothing more than a scavenger relying on electronics and modern firearms—this was already Kayneth's most cautious battle strategy.

If, against such a foe, he still chose to rely on a Servant to launch a sneak attack, then he never would have stepped foot into this castle in the first place.

Yet this pride had still cost Kayneth dearly.

The grenade thrown earlier had merely been a decoy to draw his attention. But it was also a genuine Origin Bomb—a desperate gamble with his life. Fortunately, his luck was good today.

The true Origin Bomb that mattered had already been tossed into the rubble below that hole when Kiritsugu leapt down using his Time Manipulation.

Its mechanism was not so different from an ordinary grenade, and because of its special explosive structure, the sound it produced was almost imperceptible. Yet its effect was the same as an Origin Bullet.

Within its spherical blast radius of ten meters, a magus would have their magical circuits severed and forcibly reconnected, causing the circuits throughout their body to short-circuit and run wild.

The highly condensed Origin Bombs did not need a direct hit. Simply dispersing in the air was enough.

In other words, this was a specialized tactical weapon designed as a countermeasure against magi.

Against a powerful magus like Kayneth, it was a carefully prepared area-of-effect killing tool. Due to the rarity of the materials, Kiritsugu only had three of them in total—and in that instant, he had already used two.

"Still, my luck is good today."

But he had clearly underestimated Kayneth's skill in magecraft.

Just as Kiritsugu thought Kayneth had been gravely injured by the Origin Bomb—

"Scalp!"

With a murderous shout, the mercury unleashed a fatal strike.

At the sight of the blade of mercury whistling toward him, Kiritsugu was shocked and only managed a partial dodge.

Now less than ten meters separated him from Kayneth. For him, that distance was already the limit.

Because he himself was also within the blast radius of the Origin Bomb, he dared not use magecraft to invoke Time Manipulation.

But Kayneth's magical circuits were far more resilient than he had imagined. Unlike the direct impact of an Origin Bullet, the Origin Bomb traded focused lethality for area damage. It was far weaker in terms of killing a single target.

This miscalculation came at a terrible price—

As the mercury blade slashed past, blood sprayed. His right arm was severed completely.

There was no time to ponder how Kayneth, whose magical circuits should have been rampaging from the Origin Bomb, could still control his Mystic Code.

Kiritsugu fired his submachine gun with his left hand.

Though Kayneth was wracked with pain, the Moon Spirit Fluid once again faithfully displayed its function. The defense membrane unfolded instantly, blocking the hail of 9mm rounds just as before.

History repeated itself.

Kiritsugu drew his Contender with his remaining left hand and fired a shot straight at the center of the semicircular mercury membrane.

The Moon Spirit Fluid automatically reshaped itself into the optimal defense against machine-gun fire. But the Contender's bullets were over 2.5 times faster than 9mm rounds, and more than seven times as destructive.

The mercury's speed came from pressure. While it could spread quickly into a thin membrane under pressure, reverting from membrane back into dense block under the same pressure was impossible. That was the limit of fluid mechanics.

Thus, when faced with sudden, overwhelming firepower, the mercury could not respond quickly enough to form a strong defense.

The defense would be pierced, and that one shot would devastate Kayneth's already collapsing magical circuits—

He was about to complete an almost impossible reversal!

Yet the very next moment crushed Kiritsugu's hopes completely.

Standing just beyond the shattered mercury wall was a black-clad woman, calmly raising one hand.

Between her fingers, she had caught his prized Contender's bullet.

The one who had interfered in the battle between the two was none other than Satsuki.

She loosened her fingers slightly, letting the massive bullet drop to the ground with a clang clang of metal striking stone.

Then, lifting her eyes just a little, she cast a faint glance at the man before her.

With only that glance, Kiritsugu Emiya suddenly realized his entire body was immobilized. Even the bleeding at the severed stump of his right arm had stopped.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Though his face remained expressionless, the deep sense of helplessness and despair in his heart was laid bare before Satsuki at a single look.

"It seems that even with the help of a Servant, you still ended up being outplayed." Satsuki turned her head toward Kayneth. "People must experience failure in order to grow. Perhaps, after this searing defeat, a man like you—who is not entirely a fool—may make some progress."

"I… I…"

Blue veins bulged on Kayneth's forehead. After his outburst of rage, he immediately realized the condition of his own body. Before things could worsen, he decisively cut off the external supply of magical energy.

The Moon Spirit Fluid collapsed with a crash into a pool of liquid mercury.

Having done this, he could no longer suppress the pain within his body.

With a guttural cry, he vomited a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

The agony surging from every part of his body was joined by the despair of sensing the short-circuits among his magical circuits.

Negative emotions corroded his heart like acid, eating away at him bit by bit.

At the same time, a deep sense of humiliation and self-doubt left him speechless…

He was one of the foremost magi of the Clock Tower.

It was undeniable that he bore the pride earned from his past talents. Yet in this battle, he had not underestimated his opponent.

Normally, he would never allow emotions to shake his composure—especially not in a contest of real battle.

He had brought forth his greatest Mystic Code, timed his Servant's cooperation precisely.

This had been his full effort—short of entrusting the entire fight to his Servant alone, there was nothing more to be said of his arrangements.

In truth, if this had been a secret duel between first-rate magi, Kayneth would not have been consumed by anger. He would have marveled at and admired his opponent's skill, calmly assessing their true worth, and then responded with magecraft equal to the opponent's secret art.

But—

The searing pain flooding his body had taught him what it truly meant to partake in the "Holy Grail War."

What's more, he had even dragged his betrothed, Sola, into this war.

How arrogant. How reckless.

"Impossible… I won't lose… I won't lose to the likes of him!"

Thump—

With a light sound, Satsuki struck him unconscious. She had no time to indulge this man in his lamentations. But he could not die yet—not while her battle with Karna had yet to begin.

Then, Satsuki silently turned her gaze upon the man called Kiritsugu Emiya. With her Tenseigan, she saw clearly into his past.

"What a pity… truly a pity."

That was her only judgment of him.

At the same time, Kiritsugu realized he could speak again, though the rest of his body remained immobile.

"You won't kill me?"

"Whether you live or die makes little difference to me," Satsuki said coldly. "So long as you do not obstruct me, I have no interest in deliberately crushing an ant."

"Then why leave me here? What are you trying to do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Satsuki cast her gaze toward the window. Several hundred meters away, Irisviel and Maiya Hisau were hurrying toward the castle. "You are bait, of course."

As soon as she finished speaking—

A new figure appeared between Satsuki and Kiritsugu.

Radiant with noble bearing, crowned with the diadem of stars, holding the invisible holy sword.

Her emerald eyes burned with defiance, her heroic presence seeming to ignite the very air.

From atop the rubble, Satsuki lowered her gaze slightly at the knight who glared up at her. The corridor between them was bathed in cold moonlight, the silent moment resembling a perfect scene that none could bear to break.

Yet upon noticing her former Master's grievous state, the Knight King could no longer remain calm. She raised one hand, releasing a portion of Avalon's radiance to him. At once, his injuries began rapidly healing. However, since his arm had been severed, she could not completely restore him here.

At the same time, she noticed Lancer's Master lying unconscious behind Satsuki.

The traces of an Origin Bomb's detonation still lingered in the air. With her Instinct, Saber had little trouble deducing what had transpired.

"King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon."

Watching the other's movements, Satsuki did not interfere. Instead, she softly spoke her true name.

"I did not come here to fight you. I only have one question I wish to ask."

"What question?"

Though deeply anxious, Saber bore Avalon within her. Even having once witnessed Satsuki's world-shaking power, her eyes showed no fear.

"Before you were summoned into this world—do you still remember those circumstances?"

"The circumstances before I was summoned?" For an instant, the Knight King of Britain's eyes flickered with memories of the past. But soon her gaze turned resolute once more. "That is my private matter. It has nothing to do with you."

Nothing to do with me? It seemed that not all Servants, unlike Goetia, understood the true purpose behind their summoning into this war.

—"Saber, how is Kiritsugu?"

A woman's voice carried from outside the castle.

It was Irisviel and Maiya Hisau. While Satsuki and Saber faced each other, the two had already arrived near the castle.

From outside, they could see Saber standing in the corridor, confronting Satsuki.

"Iri, Kiritsugu's condition is poor. Take him away quickly. I will hold her here."

With that, Saber raised the invisible sword in her hand and swung it toward a wall.

In the blink of an eye, the wall was cleaved open. Casting a brief glance back at Kiritsugu, she immediately turned her full attention upon the Servant before her.

Yet her words had already revealed her concern for Kiritsugu.

"This is the third floor. Can you manage the jump?"

"No problem."

The persistent sense of loss of control that plagued Kiritsugu's body had been dispelled by the Knight King's healing Noble Phantasm.

But when his gaze fell upon the intruding Servant, it carried only heavy suspicion—what was her aim? She had interfered in the battle, yet harmed neither side's Master.

Her attitude was unlike that of one who truly stood upon the battlefield.

Yet these were questions for which he could never find an answer.

With agility beyond that of ordinary men, Kiritsugu leapt from the third floor with his severed arm in tow, reuniting with his family under Saber's protection.

But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, another figure emerged from the depths of the forest, stepping into the moonlight before them.

At the sight of this figure, Kiritsugu's heart sank.

—It was Kotomine Kirei, the very opponent he least wished to encounter in this war.

Chapter 185: Vela's Idle Move, Lelouch's Pain

Lelouch's anti-Britannia resistance was far from ideal.

Although he had taken on the persona of ZERO, successfully raising the banner of the Black Knights and fighting fierce battles against the Holy Britannian Empire throughout Area 11, things had not gone smoothly.

In the Shinjuku Incident, the Orange Incident, and the Lake Kawaguchi Incident, he openly and harshly criticized Britannia's authorities and their national policies.

Militarily, the results were mixed. While he had managed to weave alliances and break Britannia's myth of invincibility in direct combat, it came with heavy strain.

Notable victories like the Mount Narita offensive that dented Cornelia's pride, and the Chofu battle that rescued the 'miracle' Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh, gave the Black Knights glory and replaced the Japanese Liberation Front as the standard-bearer of resistance in Area 11.

But.

What about the cost?

The Six Houses of Kyōto, who had secretly funded the Black Knights and underground resistance in Area 11, were wiped out by Cornelia in a lightning strike.

The spiritual leader of the Six Houses of Kyōto—the so-called last survivor and heir of the old Japanese Imperial family—barely escaped with his life, thanks only to the Black Knights' desperate cover and the Federation's rescue.

Britannia shifted from proxy governance through local collaborators to direct control over Area 11's resources. The remnants of old Japan, stripped of their usefulness, were purged en masse, families ruined.

The Black Knights suddenly lost more than half their financial and military backing.

On top of this came Cornelia's relentless, dogged pursuit of Area 11's insurgents.

It was said the Second Princess even ignored the rebellion in her former jurisdiction, Middle East Area 18, and after reporting to Pendragon, handed it over to Euro Britannia's Third Princess, Vela.

Against such opponents, after multiple campaigns, even though the battles were less intense than those of the Eastern European front, the Black Knights' amateur nature was fully exposed.

Scarce veteran elites continued to be lost. Reliable sources of new recruits were lacking. Mid-level officers were few. New soldiers who had joined with nothing but hot-blooded enthusiasm suffered extremely high casualties…

The Black Knights had hit a bottleneck.

Meanwhile, the Britannian military grew sharper with every engagement.

It seemed that no matter how many battles Lelouch won, in the end, he was on the path to losing everything.

How could Lelouch not feel anxious?

And with anxiety came mistakes.

And mistakes came at a cost—

"Cornelia and Vela… as I thought, they are the true enemies I must overcome… hiss…"

Excited, Lelouch's movement pulled at his wounds, forcing a muffled groan as pain surged through him.

On the sickbed, seeing her co-conspirator's clenched teeth, spasming limbs, and twitching face, C.C. sighed softly. Rising, she silently placed a few painkillers in her palm, then poured hot water from a thermos and handed it over.

"Even when I shield you from bullets, you really are a hopeless klutz."

Watching him swallow the medicine in one gulp, C.C. continued her sharp tongue: "Relying too much on that power isn't good."

"Your Geass requires direct eye contact to work. It cannot function through indirect vision. Its effective range is around 270 meters. And you can only use absolute command on the same person once. Really—when your Geass awakened, what sort of purity obsession was that?"

"Cough, cough… I'm not relying. I'm only using it—when necessary."

Lelouch's exhausted voice was weak.

He had no strength to banter with C.C. His whole body was limp and sore, especially the gunshot wound at his waist that made even the slightest movement send waves of pain through him.

"Haa… haa…"

Taking deep breaths, whether from the medicine's effect or sheer willpower, Lelouch felt slightly better. Suddenly, he recalled something.

"The Euro Britannian exchange forces—how many men do they have? And their cybernetic limb and eye technology, how widespread is it in their military?"

He asked in a solemn tone.

"Not sure. At most, no more than three thousand."

C.C. shrugged.

"They are directly under your Third Princess sister. In Area 11, only Cornelia can deploy them. Even Vice-Governor Euphemia cannot. That's why they've always been stationed in the Tokyo Settlement. If you hadn't recklessly launched a strike at Cornelia's main force last time, you probably wouldn't have run into them. Hoh hoh, feeling crushed?"

"If conditions were equal! I wouldn't lose—hiss, hiss… cough, cough."

Clenching his fists, Lelouch pulled at his wound again, coughing raggedly.

"Still unwilling to admit defeat, Lelouch."

C.C. dropped onto the sofa, crossing her legs on the coffee table. Picking up the broken, bloodstained ZERO mask at her side, she tossed it in her hand and said: "This is war, not chess."

"Being able to gather those conditions is a form of ability too. And didn't you give it up yourself at age nine? What now, regretting it?"

"..."

Lelouch fell silent.

His fists clenched tighter.

Those amethyst-like eyes locked on the broken ZERO mask in C.C.'s hand, and in their depths a murky shadow flickered.

In the last battle, he had caught a flaw in Cornelia's lines.

Without hesitation, he had led the Black Knights' main force, including his personal guard's ace, Kallen Kozuki, in a sudden strike against Cornelia, who habitually fought at the front. He employed terrain-destroying floor-upheaval tactics, and used Geass to set up insider pawns in advance. He had nearly maximized his advantages, and indeed, he reached Cornelia's position.

Then—the unexpected happened.

What he had feared, the white seventh-generation prototype Lancelot from the Shinjuku Incident, did not appear. But in its place, he faced Cornelia's Royal Guard equipped with the new seventh-generation [Vincent Early Mass Production Prototype].

His trump card—

Kallen's [Guren Mk-II], a seventh-generation Knightmare funded by the Six Houses of Kyōto and developed by foreign engineers, handed to the Black Knights before their annihilation—was worthy of its title. In battles like Mount Narita, it had decided the outcome.

Against Britannia's fifth-generation [Sutherland], and even against Cornelia's 5.5-generation [Gloucester] (pseudo-sixth-generation, not the newly upgraded Euro Britannia sixth-gen), it held overwhelming advantage. In combat, it had cut through foes like paper.

But this time, the [Guren Mk-II] was stopped.

These Euro Britannian-made Knightmares, whatever else could be said, were undeniably superior in build, electronic muscle torque output, energy capacity, operating systems, communications, and security protocols compared to models from elsewhere.

Surrounded, Kallen was forced onto the defensive, unable to support other fronts.

And under Britannia's superior multi-arms coordination and better-trained soldiers—

Even Japan's last "miracle commander," Kyoshiro Tohdoh, together with the Four Holy Swords piloting the Six Houses of Kyōto's final legacy—the [Gekka], comparable to seventh-gen units—could not break through.

Especially once large numbers of new Euro-produced sixth-gen [Gloucester]s entered the field, the battle slid into stalemate.

And stalemate for the Black Knights meant disadvantage.

Their "top horses" were pinned down, their "middle horses" too few, their "low horses" untrained and uneven in quality.

By chance, Britannia's vast corps of "middle horses" and stronger "low horses" were able to fully exert their advantages.

Especially with fearless "first-to-climb warriors" to stabilize morale and lead the charge.

The Euro Britannian exchange forces had given Lelouch and the Black Knights a vivid, merciless lesson in war.

Not just the new Knightmare instructors from afar, but also the veteran soldiers rotated back from the Eastern Front meat grinder—using skilled anti-armor maneuvers to destroy countless Black Knight vehicles, including Knightmares.

Infantry against cavalry.

Grenadiers crushing armored riders.

One side had fought countless battles, rich in combined-arms combat experience. A single gesture from a superior officer, a glance from a comrade—and they instantly knew how to cooperate.

The other side, while boasting a capable commander and some strong mid-to-high-level fighters, utterly lacked qualified officers to coordinate the whole army. The soldiers' tactical proficiency was low. Even many Knightmare pilots moved stiffly, awkwardly, as if trained for only a few months.

War was never won by the commander's lips alone. Even the best strategy required people to execute it. That demanded a strong, cohesive team. The Black Knights clearly did not have one.

When the battle ended—

The Black Knights suffered their most devastating defeat since their founding.

Their founder and leader, ZERO, was wounded.

Deputy Commander Ohgi Kaname was shot and left unconscious.

Military chief Kyoshiro Tohdoh was gravely injured and rushed into the ICU.

Among the Four Holy Swords, Chousa Ubume fell while covering the retreat, and Asahina Kouzaburou succumbed to his wounds after withdrawing.

Senior members Toru Yoshida and Naomi Inoue were killed.

Countless others were injured.

...

Even now, Lelouch could not forget that life-and-death moment.

During the retreat, right before his eyes—

A Black Knight piloting a Knightmare to protect him had its legs blown off by Euro Britannian grenadiers who had maneuvered ahead. The machine toppled, and those merciless killing machines shredded its cockpit with anti-armor grenades. They dragged the pilot out and executed him on the spot.

Lelouch's own [Burai] had, at some point, been tagged with a magnetic charge. Its drive wheel was blasted off. Crippled, unable to flee at high speed, he was forced to abandon it and escape on foot.

While retreating, he called for Kallen—but instead ran into Britannian soldiers.

As usual, he tried to use his Geass to order his way out. But the absolute command failed to trigger. The soldier simply pulled the trigger, and only at the last instant did C.C. throw herself in front of him, taking multiple fatal shots meant for him.

His ZERO mask was struck by a bullet—only grazing his forehead. But the rounds that pierced through C.C.'s body also tore through his waist and abdomen.

He had nearly died…

At the last moment, Kallen arrived in the battered [Guren Mk-II] and rescued both him and C.C.

Lelouch was thus forced to reveal his identity to her, forming a secret alliance.

That battle—shaped by Euro Britannia's involvement—was a brutal awakening for him.

Chapter 266: The Herrscher of Sentience of the Previous Era Descends!

"What did you say? The Eighth Herrscher has descended?!"

Inside the Fire Moth's conference room.

Everyone stared in shock at the white-haired boy seated at the head. When they received Elias' notice to convene, they had already guessed something significant had occurred.

But none of them had expected—it would be the descent of a new Herrscher!

As for doubting the truth of Elias' words—that was absolutely impossible.

Now, regarding anything related to the Honkai and Herrschers, Fire Moth would never question Elias' judgment in the slightest. He had already proven his absolute correctness time and again.

This savior, who had led humanity to victory over six Herrschers, was not someone ordinary people could ever doubt.

A saying was now circulating within Fire Moth:

[If your thinking conflicts with Lord Elias', then don't hesitate—the one who's wrong is definitely you.]

Still, even with their trust, doubt remained in their hearts.

"The Eighth Herrscher has descended? How can that be? We detected no Honkai Eruption reaction!"

"Yes, and how could those people who suddenly fell asleep while online be connected to a Herrscher?"

"Although Lord Elias must be correct, I really can't understand what's going on."

From the moment they discovered those patients who had fallen into sudden slumber, Elias had immediately declared a meeting. Everyone had been baffled by this, as the situation seemed entirely different in tone.

Past Herrschers had all possessed apocalyptic powers, directly wreaking destruction upon the world in catastrophic ways. Yet this time, all that had happened was people falling asleep while using the internet.

The difference in style was simply too great.

Some present couldn't help thinking: those who had been betting on the internal forum whether the next Herrscher's authority would be earthquakes, tsunamis, or something else—well, they had surely lost this round.

Dr. Mei pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something. The pinnacle of human intellect instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Elias, you mean…the Honkai has evolved again?"

"Yes, exactly as expected of you, Mei."

Elias nodded to her in praise, then his expression turned serious as he addressed the others.

"The reason there was no Honkai Eruption is simple. This time, the Herrscher is very weak. By my estimation, the Eighth Herrscher's Honkai energy may not even surpass that of the First Herrscher. But precisely because of this, she was nearly able to descend undetected by all of humanity."

"…How cunning!"

Mei inhaled sharply, unable to stop herself from cursing.

Even she had never considered this possibility. Mei chastised herself for still being too naive. After enduring so many Herrscher crises, she had thought she nearly understood the rules of the Honkai.

Yet in reality, she—or rather, all of humanity—still knew far too little of the Honkai. One could even say they knew nothing at all!

The Honkai was never an NPC in a game that acted without change. There was no rule stating that the birth of a Herrscher must cause a massive Honkai Eruption. There was no rule saying a Herrscher could not hide away and secretly grow stronger.

Had Elias not warned them in time, humanity might have suffered a terrible loss. For a Herrscher hidden in the dark, secretly using her authority to kill people…

Just imagining it sent chills down everyone's spine. They would rather face a monstrously strong calamity in human form than such a nightmare lurking unseen!

"Since this Herrscher hides away to secretly cause trouble, it's only natural that her authority is concealed. But then what exactly is her authority? Forcing people to sleep…could it be she's a Herrscher that makes people dream themselves to death?"

Kevin scratched his head, puzzled.

"Uh…"

At once, everyone's gazes turned to Misteln. The Dreamweaver quickly waved her hands to deny any involvement… though she suspected it might soon be related to her.

Elias shook his head at Kevin, indicating it was not so.

"A Herrscher would never be so mild. Forcing people online to fall asleep is likely only the manifestation of her authority. I believe its true essence is—consciousness manipulation!"

"!!!" xN

The moment those words left his mouth, many immediately stood up in shock. They didn't know how Elias had reached this conclusion, but everyone broke out in a cold sweat.

The most secure safe in this world was never made of steel, but rather the human brain. Once treasures called "knowledge," "memory," and "thought" were stored inside, no thief could ever steal them.

But if this newly born Herrscher's authority truly was the manipulation of consciousness, everyone present felt their hearts lurch. In an instant, fear and fighting spirit alike surged to their peak.

(Damn it! What a terrifying Herrscher this is!)

(She must be killed! Otherwise, won't all my chuunibyou fantasies be exposed?!)

(The thoughts in my head are even more indecent than my browser history! They must not be revealed!)

(This is far too dangerous. This Herrscher must die! Lord Elias, please don't capture her this time!)

There was no such thing as a completely proper person in this world. Who didn't have some dirty thoughts in their head? Not even Dr. Mei, Mobius, or Elysia were exceptions.

Unconsciously, the women glanced toward Elias. After all, they had their fair share of daydreams about him too. In short, at this moment everyone resolved firmly to slaughter the Herrscher of Sentience.

But some entertained more peculiar thoughts.

Vill-V blinked, and the inner conference began.

Magician: "Wow, this Herrscher sounds incredible. Won't she be really effective against us?"

Conductor: "I'm more curious how Elias determined her authority—just from those sleeping patients?"

Expert: "Doesn't matter. I don't care about that. In any case, Elias will deal with this Herrscher soon enough. What we should be thinking about now is what kind of Divine Key to make from this consciousness-manipulating Core."

Yandere: "That's not even up for debate! Obviously it should be a hypnosis app!!"

All Personas: "…Applause! Genius!"

Yandere: "Once it's done, I'll use this Divine Key to make Elias… ghehehehehe~~"

Everyone in the room looked speechlessly at Vill-V, who had suddenly revealed a rather questionable expression. They thought to themselves: what's gotten into her? Had she already been attacked by the Eighth Herrscher? Had her brain broken?

The corner of Elias' mouth twitched. Just what kind of personality had his beloved inventor cut out for herself?

Without hesitation, he picked up a pen and flicked it at her, striking Vill-V on the head and jolting her back to her senses.

"Ahem! Anyway, raise your guard. For the time being, Fire Moth will cut off external internet connections. Use only our internal network to avoid the Herrscher's authority. At the same time, notify the world to send all slumbering patients to Fire Moth hospitals."

"Lord Elias, then how exactly should we deal with this Herrscher? Without a Honkai Eruption, we can't even locate her."

Everyone showed uneasy expressions. This was humanity's first time facing a Herrscher who hid away, playing tricks in the shadows. No one knew what to do.

After all, no matter how strong their power was, it was useless if they couldn't find the enemy. And how were they supposed to counter an opponent who could manipulate consciousness?

But just as worry and fear were spreading—

"Don't worry. I'll handle her."

The white-haired boy remained as calm and steady as ever.

At once, everyone felt their spirits lift. Anxiety and fear vanished like smoke.

They couldn't help but ask themselves: what were they even afraid of? As long as this man was here, what did it matter if the Herrscher could manipulate consciousness? Humanity would surely prevail!

Elias nodded slightly at the crowd whose morale had reignited, then spoke:

"This is a new trial the Honkai has set for humanity, but we will overcome it. I will take care of the Eighth Herrscher. The rest of you—search and destroy the accompanying Honkai Beasts."

"Yes, sir!!" xN

Herrschers had many ways of obtaining Honkai energy. A massive Honkai Eruption was only one of them.

But without question, a Herrscher of Sentience who had been quietly born without causing a Honkai Eruption would be very weak. Thus, the Honkai would certainly arrange accompanying Honkai Beasts to act as the Eighth Herrscher's guardians.

Elias remembered that the Eighth Herrscher's Companion Honkai Beast was an Emperor-level giant peacock, which was eventually absorbed by Su.

The Flame-Chasers on site were eager for battle.

Ely: "Oh my~ looks like this Herrscher will be Eli's prey again, but the accompanying Honkai Beast is definitely mine!"

Kevin: "Sorry, Elysia. That Honkai Beast will be taken care of by me!"

Hua: "..."

Kosma: "..."

Kalpas: "Hmph! Boring. I'll go on ahead."

...

A few hours later, inside Fire Moth's hospital.

Though only a single day had passed, already tens of thousands of people worldwide had fallen into an unending slumber. Fortunately, for now, they were only asleep and had not died.

All these sleeping people were still alive. And through the investigation of Fire Moth's extremely rare fusion warriors with mental perception abilities who could resist the Herrscher of Sentience's power…

They discovered the Herrscher's method.

"It's a memetic weapon. Truly terrifying authority. All these people who fell asleep saw keywords polluted by the Herrscher of Sentience's authority. It seems their consciousnesses have all been locked inside dreams dominated by the Herrscher."

Dr. Mei spoke solemnly.

The Herrscher of Sentience's codename was now fully established.

She could designate certain keywords and turn them into memetic weapons. For example, keywords like [manga], [calamity], [Honkai] had now been polluted by her authority.

Anyone who saw these words would have their mind manipulated, their consciousness trapped inside a dream created by the Herrscher.

And while people slept, their bodily functions would rapidly deteriorate under the influence of her power. In only a few days, they would die completely. This wasn't like some game where players could last more than three years without dying.

"Ban all the identified words immediately. No matter what, we must minimize casualties."

"It's already done. For now, the number of patients has stopped increasing. But unless we eliminate the Herrscher of Sentience entirely, she can always designate new words as memetic weapons."

Recently, Dr. Mei's artificial intelligence robot Prometheus made great contributions.

By scanning the browsing history of the sleeping patients, this AI had already identified all the keywords currently turned into pollution sources by the Herrscher of Sentience.

These words were erased across the internet, immediately halting the growth of victims. But this was only a temporary measure. The Herrscher of Sentience could always create more polluted keywords.

Though her Honkai energy was very low and her authority likely couldn't even cover a single city, through the [network] the Herrscher of Sentience had expanded her reach across the entire world!

"No matter. Has the Observation Hub been set up?"

Elias' expression remained calm. His trump card for victory was already prepared. He could hardly wait to see what the Herrscher of Sentience of the Previous Era looked like.

"Honestly, only you could think of this solution so quickly. It's ready. I'll be counting on you again, Elias."

Mei spoke seriously. She led Elias to a machine and installed the connector onto his armor.

Next, Elias and Misteln would link through the consciousnesses of the slumbering patients, entering the dream world created by the Herrscher of Sentience, then reverse-tracing her location.

As long as they could make contact with the Herrscher within the dream, the Observation Hub would be able to synchronize and pinpoint her real-world coordinates.

"Leave it to me and Misteln. We'll find the Herrscher's coordinates—and if we're lucky, we'll take her down directly in the dream."

"Please rest assured, Dr. Mei. After all, the dream world is my home field. This Herrscher chose the wrong method."

Elias and Misteln spoke with confidence.

By the way, Elysia and the others had already acted swiftly—the Herrscher of Sentience's accompanying Honkai Beast had been slain.

It was indeed a huge green peacock, said to be capable of using neurotoxin. But its strength was not great—it wasn't even on the level of a Judgment-class.

Now, having lost her trump card—the Companion Honkai Beast—and having descended quietly at the cost of giving up a large amount of Honkai energy, the Herrscher of Sentience was doomed once Fire Moth discovered her location.

...

"Time waits for no one. Let's head out immediately."

Elias and Misteln placed the consciousness-linking helmets on their heads. Just then, Mei reminded them:

"Right, don't forget to save the slumbering patients. Their consciousnesses have been hijacked into the Herrscher's dream. We can't wake them from outside."

"Got it, got it. A small matter."

Elias waved dismissively and closed his eyes.

"Misteln, Link-Start!"

"Understood~"

Misteln activated her ability, bringing Elias into the dream of one of the slumbering patients.

...

When Elias' vision cleared, he found himself in a strangely familiar place.

"Mm, yes—it feels the same. But this Herrscher of Sentience's taste still leaves much to be desired. The details are fuzzy. Poor work. My Misteln is far superior."

Elias glanced around and offered his critique.

"Hehe~ thank you for the compliment, Master."

Misteln beamed happily. After all, every night she carefully crafted lucid dreams for Elias, so he knew full well what dreaming should feel like.

Then Misteln extended her perception. At once, she understood everything.

"I see. So this is how it works."

"Oh? What did you figure out?"

"Yes, it's mostly clear now. The Herrscher of Sentience has trapped all the patients within dreams. By exploiting human desires, she crafted 'sweet dreams' as prisons. As long as the dream is destroyed—or the dreamer killed—they'll return to the real world."

Misteln pointed in a direction.

Elias looked, and there a man reclined atop a mountain of gold, laughing loudly while holding a woman in each arm. Truly, a dream of 'simple, unadorned' pleasures.

Though crude and laughable, it was more than enough to make countless people refuse to wake. After all, most of the world was made of ordinary people. Elias understood—and then…

He silently drew the Judgment of Shamash in its Might of An-Utu mode.

Misteln: "I can synchronize dream and reality. That means, Master, within the dream you can use all of your real-world powers and equipment. Please unleash them to the fullest."

Elias: "Excellent. Tremble, slumberers! Today your savior shall become your nightmare! Shamash Assault!"

In the next second, raging flames instantly incinerated the man's dream. Before he even realized what had happened, the all-consuming fire had reduced him to nothing.

At the same time, in the real world—

"Holy—what the hell?!" The man screamed, suddenly jolting awake on the brink of death. Dazed, he looked around. "Who am I? Where am I? What was I doing?"

"Oh? Elias' efficiency is astonishing."

Mei blinked in surprise, staring admiringly at the white-haired boy lying in the Observation Hub.

"Wait—logically, even though Elias is in a dream state, his consciousness isn't in his body. That means he shouldn't be affected by external interference. No matter how much noise we make, he can't wake up right now…"

Suddenly, Mei realized something.

"Doesn't that mean I could do whatever I want to him?"

Chapter 572: Kotomi is Very Much Like a 'Not Good with Words' Mother

As Kotomi Izumi sat on her lap, much of Megumi Kato's earlier irritation instantly melted away. At the same time, she reached out and gently wrapped her arms around Kotomi's enchanting, irresistible waist.

Whenever Megumi saw Kotomi walking, the way her slender waist swayed would always make her want to reach out and hold her close.

Kotomi had many alluring qualities—her breathtaking beauty that made one willing to plunge into the flames like a moth, her full chest, her shapely, plump legs, her delicate little feet that seemed like sweet candies begging to be teased, her fair and tender skin… and of course, this waist that haunted Megumi's every thought.

"I have to stay after school for rehearsal. Since I'm working so hard, when I'm on stage, Little Megumi, you must cheer me on with all your heart~"

Leaning against Megumi Kato, Kotomi spoke in a coquettish tone, like a young bride, yet still keeping the gestures within the bounds that would make outsiders think they were simply two close girls clinging together.

"When your performance ends, I'll give you a big hug!" Megumi smiled happily, then leaned close to Kotomi's ear and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, whispered with a laugh: "And a deep kiss."

"How embarrassing~"

What Kotomi said wasn't only to ask Megumi to cheer her on, but mainly to let Megumi know what she had been doing during the last class, and that she would be staying after school to rehearse.

Last time, when she went to karaoke with Yui Yuigahama without telling Megumi, it led to Megumi blackening, killing Kotomi, and then committing suicide in front of her. Even now, recalling it left Kotomi shaken.

People die when they are killed. If not for Kazumi successfully activating Soul Retention at the last moment, preserving their souls and using time reversal to resurrect them, then when Megumi's parents came home to see two corpses brutally slain in the bedroom…

The grief of that scene, Kotomi couldn't imagine. Nor could she imagine what her father, mother, and younger sister would feel upon seeing her body. Would they collapse in despair?

Being able to revive was truly fortunate… Since resurrection, Kotomi had always thought this way.

But their revival came at the price of Kazumi falling into a deep slumber, with no telling when she might awaken. Every time Kotomi thought of Kazumi still asleep, her heart ached as though pierced by a thorn.

Cherishing this second chance at life, Kotomi was extremely cautious, doing everything she could to avoid any situation that might lead to Megumi's blackening.

The gentler Little Megumi usually was, the more terrifying she became when she blackened.

Hearing Kotomi's words, Megumi's expression finally softened completely. She hugged Kotomi close, gently inhaling her fragrance.

At that moment, Megumi felt she was the happiest woman in the world.

Sitting behind them, Mashiro Shiina silently watched, her face expressionless, as she idly scraped her fingernail across her sketchbook.

Although Kotomi and Megumi had spoken quietly, so that only they should have heard, they had underestimated Mashiro's hearing.

Sitting alone behind them, Mashiro had heard every single word, clear and complete.

Their sweet words of love sounded to Mashiro like the most piercing noise.

Rip—

With a faint tearing sound, the paper of her sketchbook split under Mashiro's fingernail.

Her nails weren't long, but the paper could not withstand constant scraping.

"..."

Mashiro lowered her gaze, her emotionless eyes glancing at the torn page. On it was a sketch—of Kotomi and Megumi, leaning against each other just as they were now.

"If the paper is ruined, it must be torn out and replaced with a new one…"

She murmured softly to herself, then tore the page from her sketchbook with rough hands, shredding it into pieces.

Rising, she walked to the trash can and threw the fragments inside.

At all times, shredding into fragments was the most efficient way to clear and put away…

After discarding the scraps, a faint smile finally returned to Mashiro Shiina's face.

...

Afternoon.

Before the last class, which was self-study—

"I remember that at Sobu High School, during parent-teacher meetings, students don't have to come to school. So… that means tomorrow morning we don't need to wake up early!"

For tomorrow's parent-teacher meeting, the students who had done well on exams were happy, while those who had performed poorly felt uneasy, only able to pray that the teacher would say more good things in front of their parents.

Kotomi, however, immediately remembered that during tomorrow morning's meeting, students didn't have to attend.

She could sleep in comfortably tomorrow morning~ She only had to come to school at two in the afternoon. And even then, the two afternoon classes for Class 1-F were both self-study.

Self-study?

For Kotomi, self-study classes were meant for playing on her phone and napping.

She had already decided which movies she was going to secretly watch on her phone during today's and tomorrow's self-study periods.

After realizing she wouldn't need to wake up early tomorrow, Kotomi quickly opened Line and sent a message to Kiyoko Matsumatsu.

Kotomi Izumi: [Tomorrow is the parent-teacher meeting. Students don't have to come, right?]

Kiyoko Matsumatsu: [Yes! Tonight~ see you on Steam!]

Kotomi Izumi: [No problem!]

Kiyoko Matsumatsu: [Ah! The discipline director came to our class to confiscate phones again! This is already the third time today!]

Yui Yuigahama said with a relaxed expression:

"In the past, after exams, when it was time for the parent-teacher meeting, I always tried my best not to tell Mom. Of course, Mom would still get the notice from the teacher, and when she realized I hadn't told her, she'd scold me even more fiercely…

But this time, my grades have improved again, so I don't have to worry about hiding the parent-teacher meeting from Mom. I even hope she'll come to school earlier tomorrow~

This is the first time I can proudly let Mom attend the post-exam parent-teacher meeting! And it's all thanks to Kotomi!"

Yui said proudly, her every word tied back to Kotomi.

"Keep working hard."

Kotomi nodded with satisfaction, speaking little, like a mother who wasn't good with words, earnestly praising a daughter who had made progress in her studies, but still worried that too much praise might make her proud and complacent.

It wasn't that Kotomi was really not good with words—if she wasn't, then no one in the world could be said to be good at speaking.

It was just that, at that moment, most of her attention was caught in her thoughts. After hearing Yui's words, Kotomi couldn't help but imagine Mrs. Yuigahama, usually gentle and playful, scolding Yui fiercely.

As the thought crossed her mind, the corners of Kotomi's lips curled into a sweet smile.

Chapter 660: Selene – I Also Wish to Become a Xel'Naga

The Void.

A boundless space of darkness, desolation, chaos, and disorder, where raging storms of dark psionic energy howled everywhere—this was its theme. At least, it was the theme of the Void after Amon betrayed his fellow Xel'Naga and took up residence here.

Now—

Vrrrrm——!!

For the first time—

The Void was ignited!

Light surged, light roared.

Though no stars should exist within the Void, the sky seemed to hang a sun above—a magnificent violet-red spiral, like a suddenly erupting super-planet. The collapsing flashes boiled the raging psionic storms of the Void, surging with violent force.

The mere aftermath of its sweep flattened everything within sight. No matter how powerful the void amalgamations, no matter how ancient the fragments of shattered worlds, under the remolding power of the cosmos they disintegrated into molecules, reduced to dust adrift in the Void.

"I am the Sun! I am the Savior!"

The 'sun'—surpassing the limits of the real universe—rapidly swelled, suspended in the sky, wrapped in iridescent thin clouds. It shone with faint but dazzling white light, illuminating the terrifying silhouette rooted within the sea of the Void, living and growing together with it.

A crimson psionic lightning sea boiled, rolling like molten iron, scarlet and radiant, bursting forth from faint mist.

"Liar! Hypocrite! Thief! Bandit! You are nothing but a murderer! By what right?! How dare you call yourself savior?!"

The maddened, fallen Xel'Naga roared. From that boiling ocean of the Void, countless crimson and pale violet tentacles and tendrils stretched outward, spiraling like sharp thorns, thrusting toward the endless dark curtain.

A vague humanoid silhouette appeared, but its head resembled a squid's, with countless writhing tentacles. Its body was covered in scale-like gelatinous flesh, and its pair of scarlet compound eyes glowed like bleeding pigeon-blood rubies.

Like a shifting mountain rising from the infinite ocean, Amon's massive, bloated body struggled forth from the gaping maw of the dark collective beneath the Void.

Crack! Crack! Crack——!

The Void shattered. Enormous thunder, destructive and tearing, surged forth, shrieking with incomparable dark psionic power! The essence belonging to the Xel'Naga creators spilled out, bursting in wild destruction!

Amon roared, revealing only the tip of his colossal form dwelling deep within the sea of the Void.

That 'Dark Resonance' rooted with swollen tendrils was an ocean of resentment formed from the corpses and essence of dead Xel'Naga. It was by dwelling within it that Amon had mended the wounds of the civil war, becoming ever more deranged.

"You envy me."

Selene stood quietly above the Void, gazing at the immense, indescribable being before her. She felt the impact and oppression of that pure, overwhelming hatred, madness, and corruption, yet remained completely unmoved. The corners of her charming lips curved in a graceful arc. She did not even bother putting on imperial airs, simply sighed softly.

Everything you say is true—but you envy me.

"Roooaaaarrrrrrr!!!"

Amon let out a frenzied howl.

Simply put, he was rattled.

Why? Why could Selene brazenly claim to be the sun, to be the savior? Why was he condemned as the ugly 'Fallen One,' the 'Dark God,' the abomination to be struck down by all?

Selene, an outer god, dared to seize the title of Xel'Naga!

As the only surviving Xel'Naga who could still walk the Void, and the strongest of them all—having devoured the essence of his kin—Amon had naturally witnessed the unfolding of events in the real universe.

The conflict in the Korhal system had reached its end.

And when Valerian Mengsk spread to his subjects the notion that Selene was a Xel'Naga—that was what ignited Amon's fury.

The apostles of the outer god had already claimed a foothold in the Koprulu sector. The change of banners among the Terrans, their cries, their worship and prayers directed toward this 'abominable thing'—all of it made Amon jealous.

I am the true Xel'Naga! She is but a fraud!

For some reason, Selene's voice, as gentle as fluttering butterfly wings, struck Amon's mind like the roar of a chainsaw, ceaselessly shaking what little sanity he had left. Feathers glowing with crimson light drifted into the sea of his consciousness.

In the boundless darkness, countless dreams clamored and roared. Memories from billions of years ago resurfaced, unforgettable, repeating before his very eyes.

They were the beautiful memories of his homeworld, before he had been chosen as a Xel'Naga—his most cherished and most regretted recollections.

He blamed himself for ignoring the death of his mother civilization. He grieved that he had failed to revive it. He ached from being forever separated from what he once knew and cherished.

Why is your civilization able to share in your glory and your shame? Why is it that you could lead your people to prosperity?!

The sculptures carved upon the bows of those warships—Amon saw clearly—they were of this outer god before him!

Amon was not without self-awareness. This spontaneous symbiosis, this fervent devotion, was not something his ragtag followers could ever compare to.

I will not accept it!

It is the fault of this universe!

His jealousy spread like wild brambles, rooting into every corner of his consciousness!

Fallen spirit and flickering sanity, faint traces of nostalgia for his identity as a Xel'Naga, hatred and resentment toward the Infinite Cycle of Xel'Naga reincarnation, malicious contempt for the real universe—all these conflicting thoughts mixed together.

They left Amon's mental state wildly unstable.

And with Selene's constant provocation and relentless stings, he grew ever more deranged.

"No! I don't believe it! I don't believe it—! Everything, everything, must be destroyed—!!"

His slimy shriek of madness continued.

Tsk, tsk…

You started the insults.

"You are nothing but a failed product of the Xel'Naga cycle. The greatest lie and evil born of a flawed cycle… oh, perhaps better called an unspeakable fallen thing. Truly, I pity that elder Xel'Naga who chose you. What a disgrace in the end."

It was only trash talk, but Selene—though not exactly skilled at provoking people into blind rage—was adept at exposing old wounds.

She wielded her authority to lure Amon into recalling the cherished memories he had willingly buried, then shattered them again and again within the sea of his mind. Again and again she compared his legion's soldiers to his lost homeworld.

She forced him to ask himself: What if my home civilization had not perished?

"Die! Die! Die—!"

In the sea of the Void, blood seeped from Amon's eyes, trickling down his grotesque form. His bloated, planetary body swelled further, black psionic energy erupting, his writhing tentacles clawing toward the brilliant radiance above, striking with a heavy, dripping impact.

It was an obvious goading tactic—but clearly, Amon could not resist. If he could have resisted, would he ever have fallen?

In a sense, Amon was also a being of deep sentiment—though only for his motherworld.

"Not bad…"

Selene inhaled deeply the essence released as Amon struggled against the collapsing brilliance of the sun. Satisfaction spread across her face.

The fragrance here, though inferior to that of a living Xel'Naga, was still intoxicating!

"Amon, you have fallen still…"

After finishing this, Selene did not linger. She spread her arms, and with each step upon the Void, ripples spread outward like stones cast into a pond. The stars themselves shifted in rhythm with her stride.

The 'sun' advanced toward the raging Amon—as though to embrace him.

Soft beyond measure! Yet carrying ultimate killing intent!

Crack, crack, crack—!

"Imaginary Domain—unfold!"

Rumble—!!

Like divine power tearing open creation itself, with a deafening blast, massive rifts ripped apart the pitch-black curtain of the Void, spreading infinitely outward—as though piercing through all the cycles of Xel'Naga universes!

It was like an overinflated star collapsing into a black hole. This domain of the Void resembled a pond into which the Tsar Bomba had been hurled, its destructive shockwaves igniting the Void itself, distorting and twisting space.

Even on the other side of the real universe's barrier, the Temple of Ulna saw the widening rift!

At the horizon spanning the heavens, an ultra-planet burned—towering even greater than the largest known star in the galaxy…

Psionics twisted, space shattered, the firmament cracked and collapsed, and endless blood and wailing poured forth.

The Temple of Unification, Ulnar.

Amid desolate planetary fragments, particles of holy psionics gathered, completely different from Amon's fallen madness.

A vast outline of pale blue-white translucence slowly took shape.

A squid-like head with countless tendrils, whisker-like feelers, and a bloated body—its form almost identical to Amon's. Hideous and indescribable in appearance.

Yet unlike Amon, it bore no malice. Instead, it radiated a special aura that calmed the heart.

"Amon's presence… has weakened?"

...

Boom-crack—!

"Come! Become my power! Do you not seek destruction? Follow my will, and spread ruin!"

At Selene's fervent cry, Amon's final psionic defenses broke apart layer by layer. The Void gave a mournful scream of no return, followed by the deafening collapse of a Xel'Naga's body and soul.

Essence dissolved, psionics extinguished.

A dreadful wail swept across the cracked, pitch-dark firmament, like some monotonous yet deranged symphony.

The fallen creator at the pinnacle of all Xel'Naga was reduced to ashes before that radiance, consumed completely by the black hole born of transcendent light.

…

No one knew how long it was before the devouring collapse subsided. The eternal storm of dark psionics had reached its end. The surging abyssal sea dried away, revealing the Void's original form.

Here once lay the sanctuary painstakingly built by the Xel'Naga from fragments of stars ferried across universes, where seeds of life had been sown with hope.

But after Amon's rebellion ended, all became nothing.

Amon's corruption, Selene's devastation, annihilation that consumed all.

The Void had truly become void. Empty, with nothing left…

"An opponent who loses reason is always easier to deal with."

Selene, relaxed and satisfied, rubbed her belly. She formed a small Subspace Lance, picking her teeth with feigned casualness, then turned toward the rift leading to the real universe, raising an eyebrow.

"You've watched long enough. Not going to show yourself?"

Since the other had already been called out for secretly observing, the indescribable visage of a Xel'Naga appeared, revealing its true form. A few seconds later, it opened its maw, a deep, chaotic voice resounding:

"Greetings… powerful unknown higher-dimensional lifeform. I am Xel'Naga, the last Xel'Naga—Ouros."

Unlike Amon's hysteria and fickleness, when Ouros spoke, Selene felt innate steadiness and ancient weight.

The Xel'Naga named Ouros gazed at the outer god who had annihilated Amon with overwhelming power.

"Thank you—for destroying the Xel'Naga betrayer who sought to annihilate the endless cycle of universes."

Ouros expressed his gratitude sincerely.

Perhaps Selene harbored ulterior motives for this universe, but whatever her intent, she had destroyed Amon, the destroyer of the Infinite Cycle. That was undeniable fact.

It was precisely Amon's death and the weakening of his dark psionics that allowed Ouros to break free of his seal and return to the light.

"Don't be so quick to thank me… Ouros, my commission doesn't come cheap."

What, just a thank you? My value is not that cheap.

Selene eyed this kind-looking Xel'Naga. Though their appearances were the same, he was far more pleasant to look at than Amon. Indeed, temperament and bearing mattered greatly.

"Powerful unknown higher-dimensional lifeform, what can I give you? What can this universe offer you?" Ouros asked.

Though Selene exuded an aura of ruin and decay no less than Amon's—perhaps even greater—her radiance of reason and civilization could not be concealed.

Contradictory.

Ouros could not understand. Could she too wish to scatter the seeds of life?

Selene: (Uh… well, pretty much. I'm here to develop civilizations. Though my methods might be a little rough.)

Unreserved, she extended her hand toward the Xel'Naga, smiling: "It's simple. I also want to become a Xel'Naga."

Ouros: …

Are you kidding me?

Chapter 590: Explosion!

About half an hour later, Eriri and the others finally left Axel City and headed toward the location where the monsters from the commission needed to be slain.

Once outside the city, the population noticeably decreased. Other than a few passing merchant caravans, only adventurers who had accepted commissions could be seen active outside.

Although Eriri had picked this commission casually, it was still among the more difficult ones.

They needed to subjugate ten Giant Golems.

These monsters typically inhabited hilly areas far from Axel City. It took Eriri's six-person party nearly an hour just to reach their destination.

This was also the first time Megumin had traveled so far from Axel since arriving there to carry out a commission.

Along the way, they did encounter a few other adventurer parties, though no exchanges took place.

"Eriri-nee, look over there. Is that the monster we need to subjugate?"

Lilian pointed at a gigantic creature that looked like a moving mountain emerging from behind a mountain range, her little face full of excitement.

Hearing her, Eriri and the others turned to look. Immediately, they saw a Golem towering over twenty meters tall.

Because of the distance, however, it only appeared one or two meters tall to the eye.

"That's right. This monster belongs to the stronger category of mid-level monsters. Its defining trait is extremely tough defense. With ordinary means, it's very difficult to damage it."

Darkness explained in detail, as if reciting from an encyclopedia entry.

As her words fell, Megumin suddenly took a few steps forward and struck her signature chuunibyou pose.

"Hahaha! Now it's my turn to shine. Before my Explosion Magic, a mere Golem can be annihilated in a single strike!"

Her delicate face bore an arrogant smile, completely dismissing the Golem.

Eriri and the others weren't surprised by her chuunibyou behavior. Lilian, on the contrary, was brimming with excitement and cheered for her.

"Go, Megumin! Boom and finish it off!"

Though Lilian possessed Level 3 strength, she had no clear awareness of her own destructive power, having never truly unleashed it. To her, being able to take down such a massive monster in one blow was simply incredible.

"Hmph! Just wait and watch me perform!"

Megumin raised her head proudly, her face full of self-satisfaction.

"I'll make sure to record your Explosion Magic later and upload it to YouTube."

From the storage ring hanging on her neck, Lilian pulled out her phone, ready to capture Megumin's battle with the Golem.

A real-life magical battle like this was something she absolutely had to share with her fans.

"Why record it? Wouldn't it be more exciting to stream it live instead?"

"That's right!"

Lilian's eyes lit up, and she quickly opened the YouTube app on her phone.

Hearing Eriri and Lilian's conversation, Megumin tilted her head in confusion. Three big question marks practically floated above her head.

"Record? Live stream? What are you talking about?"

She then noticed the strange device in Lilian's hands and looked at it with curiosity.

"Lilian, is that some kind of magic tool? It looks really strange…"

Her words made Lilian freeze for a moment. She suddenly realized this wasn't the modern world, but a medieval fantasy one with no electronic devices.

She had subconsciously overlooked this fact because she had already seen Eris with a Switch and Darkness with a phone.

Panicked, she instinctively turned her gaze toward Eriri, unsure if she should explain.

Eriri, of course, understood Lilian's meaning. Smiling, she took out her own phone as well.

"Megumin, this thing is called a 'smartphone.' It's a tool that allows long-distance calls, records still images and moving pictures, and much more. For example…"

As she spoke, Eriri opened the camera function on her phone and snapped a picture of Megumin.

She then tapped open the freshly taken photo and displayed it before Megumin's eyes.

Seeing the image appear so clearly on the phone screen, Megumin's expression filled with surprise.

"So that's how it works. This is a smartphone? It looks amazing."

"The livestream we mentioned earlier is also a function of the smartphone. It allows people thousands of miles away to see what's happening here."

"That's incredible!"

"Do you want one? As a joining gift, I could give you one."

Eriri smiled as she spoke, her words greatly tempting Megumin.

If it were anyone else, they might have hesitated. But Megumin was not the type to refuse when she could gain something for free.

"I want it!"

She nodded without hesitation, her crimson eyes sparkling as she stared at Eriri.

Under her expectant gaze, Eriri stretched out her hand and directly created a phone identical to her own, then handed it over to Megumin.

She even thoughtfully changed the phone's text into the language of this world.

Because the phone was created by Eriri, there was no need to worry about network issues. In this world, it could only connect with others who also had phones—such as Eriri and Darkness.

For now, Eriri didn't unlock the search function on this device, so Megumin couldn't use it to look up information about other worlds.

Her plan was to wait until the one-week adventurer experience ended before revealing anything about the multiverse. Only then would she enable the phone's search function.

Receiving this special joining gift, Megumin's face lit up with excitement. She fiddled with it restlessly, unable to put it down, even tossing her staff carelessly onto the ground.

Recalling how Eriri had tapped the phone screen earlier, Megumin clumsily imitated her, poking at it randomly.

Operating the phone wasn't difficult—especially for the highly intelligent Crimson Demons. Within moments, Megumin figured out the basic usage.

But when it came to more advanced functions, such as taking photos or starting a livestream, she was at a loss.

Of course, with time, she would certainly be able to master all the functions. But at this moment, she had no patience for slowly figuring it out. Instead, she looked up at Eriri again, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"Um… how do you use this thing again?"

"Lilian will teach you properly once we're back. For now, the Golem has already come close. Weren't you going to show us your Explosion Magic?"

Eriri's reminder snapped Megumin out of her excitement.

"That's right! I still need to demonstrate my Explosion Magic!"

Reluctantly, Megumin put the phone away, then picked up her staff from the ground.

Seeing that the Golem had already entered her attack range, Megumin hurried a few steps forward, raising her staff high and striking the stance to unleash her magic.

Meanwhile, Lilian had already opened a livestream on YouTube. Across the vast expanse of a universe, the footage was instantly connected through her phone.

As soon as the livestream began, fans who received the notification flooded in.

Lilian didn't speak in the livestream. She simply pointed the camera toward the Golem and made sure to include Megumin in the frame.

At that moment, the livestream chat exploded into chaos, with everyone furiously discussing the scene.

[Where is Her Highness right now? Why is there such a monster there?]

[Could it be they're shooting a movie? But the special effects are way too realistic!]

[No way this is a movie… anyone can tell this isn't CGI!]

[If it's not special effects, then what is it? Don't tell me there are actually monsters like this on Earth. If there were, they would have been exposed to the public already.]

[Not necessarily. If humans can evolve superpowers, maybe plants and animals can evolve too.]

[Please no, that would throw the whole world into chaos…]

[That little girl… is she a mage? Could this be a magical girl fighting a monster livestream?]

As comments scrolled rapidly across the chat, Lilian didn't bother explaining.

Because at that moment, Megumin had already begun chanting her Explosion Magic.

"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark…

"Let my true crimson glow be entrusted here!"

As the incantation rang out, the tip of Megumin's staff suddenly began to shine, and the surrounding mana surged violently.

Though small in scale, the concentrated light was dazzling, as if it had condensed immense energy.

Streams of blue mana swirled like a whirlwind toward the jewel on her staff, while a massive crimson magic circle spread beneath her feet.

At the same time, the Golem's body was engulfed in layers of giant crimson circles, stretching skyward.

"The time of awakening cometh

"Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary

"Appear now as an intangible distortions!

"I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force

"A destructive force without equal!

"Return all creation to cinders

"And come frome the abyss!"

With each verse, the air shook harder. The sky itself turned crimson from the intensity of the mana.

Watching her masterpiece unfold, Megumin's lips curled into a mad grin.

"This is humanity's strongest attack! This is… the ultimate attack magic!"

"Explosion!"

With a deafening roar, the crimson magic circle erupted against the Golem.

The blast resembled a nuclear detonation, a colossal mushroom cloud rising from the earth.

When the smoke cleared, the towering twenty-meter Golem was gone—only a massive crater over a hundred meters wide remained.

Inside the livestream, those who had doubted it was real filmmaking were silenced.

No movie special effect could shake the atmosphere itself like this.

Yet most weren't too shocked by the destructive power alone.

[So this is magic? Not bad. That destructive force is close to a Level 6 destructive-type esper!]

[Forget power, even just the visual effects completely outclass Level 6s.]

[Meh, it's nothing compared to a Level 10. Remember when a Level 10 from the Sawamura Foundation destroyed a giant deserted island in one strike? That was insane!]

[You said it yourself—Level 10. Other than the Sawamura Foundation, where else is there a Level 10? Even Level 6s are rare.]

[There's no such thing as magic. She's just an esper. I just don't know what category of esper she is, to be able to create effects this gorgeous.]

[Could she be the same as the Sawamura Foundation's Level 10, a fire-type esper?]

[Or maybe… just maybe… this really is magic, and Her Highness is in another world right now…]

[Hmm, that makes sense. I couldn't understand a word of her chant—and I speak sixteen languages.]

[Impossible! Absolutely impossible!]

[…]

The chat was filled with debate over Explosion Magic. Some insisted Lilian had hired an actress to perform for show, while others believed it was something orchestrated by the Sawamura family.

After all, during her trip to Tokyo, Lilian hadn't concealed her whereabouts. She had openly posted updates on Twitter. Fans knew she was spending time with the Sawamura family's heiress—none other than Kashiwagi Eri, who had appeared in Lilian's livestream half a year earlier.

So, naturally, many associated the incident with the Sawamura family.

Of course, a few people had guessed the truth. But no one believed them, and those comments were quickly drowned out.

...

In order to show off her Explosion Magic to Eriri, Megumin had pushed herself to the absolute limit this time.

She could feel that not a single drop of mana remained in her body. Her stamina was also completely drained.

Her body, unable to support itself, toppled forward uncontrollably.

This wasn't soft grass, but hard rocky ground with sharp stones scattered about.

If she fell flat onto it, the impact would be very unpleasant.

Just as she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain, she suddenly felt someone's arms catch her halfway down…

Chapter 345: Culinary Duel Before the Commander!

Shokugeki no Soma World.

Totsuki Academy.

In the past, this place was largely self-governed, practically a small independent world of its own.

The Totsuki conglomerate held enormous influence, spanning both political and business realms, far beyond a simple culinary academy.

But now, the academy was in turmoil.

Patrolling Angeloids were everywhere.

Though the Starsea Empire did not trouble these students when taking over their world, the pressure they felt was overwhelming.

Especially when they saw the hovering starships above, and the shipgirls in uniform standing around.

Remembering the recent news of them crushing multiple allied fleets and eradicating the last resistance, many students felt their legs trembling.

I'm just a cook—when have I ever seen something like this?!

"Hi hi~"

In the great hall, Belfast stood on stage, clapping her hands.

She looked toward the gathered students below.

"Everyone, don't be too afraid. Under the Starsea Empire's rule, your daily lives won't be affected."

"Totsuki Academy will also continue to exist—under our management."

"As for its teaching philosophy… hmm, we may inherit it, or we may make some adjustments."

"..."

The students looked at each other in confusion.

Previously the Elite Ten and the Director had the final say. Now it was this foreign Empire.

At least they weren't going to harm ordinary people.

"In the future, outstanding graduates from here may enter the Starsea Empire and gain the opportunity to cook for the Commander."

"If he's pleased, perhaps there will even be rewards."

The head maid said with a smile.

Conquering a gourmet world naturally meant gaining skilled chefs, to add some variety to daily life.

What Belfast didn't say was that, knowing the Commander's preferences, those who would actually get the chance to cook for him in person at the capital were probably only cute girls.

"..."

The students scratched their heads.

In just a few days, they had already learned some things about the Starsea Empire from various channels.

Rewards from an imperial leader?

Hard to imagine. They were curious.

"Well then, next..."

Belfast tapped open a list on the holographic screen.

"Rindo Kobayashi, Momo Akanegakubo, Nene Kinokuni, Alice Nakiri, Hisako Arato... Pack your things and prepare to depart."

"The Commander has agreed to your request and permitted a cooking duel."

"Of course, the venue will be in the Starsea Empire, before the Commander himself. It wouldn't be fitting to trouble him to come here and play house with you."

"He wants to see your skills with his own eyes—so do your best."

"..."

The named girls glanced at each other.

When Belfast had been scouting them, they had half-jokingly requested a chance to compete with the Starsea Empire's chefs.

After all, their lives and their very meaning lay in cooking.

They hadn't expected the other side to actually agree.

And not just that—but to head directly to the Empire's capital and cook before its ruler!

The pressure was immense.

"Um, let me ask just in case..."

A red-haired girl with golden eyes raised her hand.

"This is a culinary duel before the Commander, right? If we lose… we won't be executed, will we?"

Rindo Kobayashi felt uneasy. To compete before an unfamiliar leader—losing seemed bad, but winning might be worse.

Lose, and she looked incompetent. Win, and if the other side was petty, that would be even more troublesome.

In ancient times, ministers even had to hold back when playing chess with emperors.

"The Commander isn't that kind of person."

Belfast and the cat-eared maid chuckled.

"If you win, it shows you have value in the Starsea Empire, and the Commander will grant you due treatment."

"As for losing… perhaps he'll just think Totsuki isn't all it's said to be, just empty reputation."

"?"

"Empty reputation?"

Hearing their school, the one they had poured their efforts into, dismissed so casually, the chefs suddenly felt an odd fire ignite in their hearts.

"In terms of cooking, Totsuki is number one in the world."

"No matter the opponent, the ingredient, or the dish, no one can defeat us."

Erina puffed out her chest and answered confidently.

"..."

"Any opponent? Any ingredient? Any dish?"

Belfast patted Erina's shoulder.

"Little Erina, don't go around raising flags..."

...

The head maid thoughtfully gave them time to prepare.

Rindo Kobayashi, Hisako, Erina, and the others packed their luggage at the academy, along with every kind of cooking utensil.

Even Alice's cutting-edge molecular gastronomy equipment was carried aboard the starship by Angeloids.

Two days later.

A small group of girls dressed in chef's uniforms, carrying their own tools, boarded the ship alongside the shipgirls.

"Mm..."

Rindo, Erina, and the others were brimming with confidence, walking tall with their heads high.

At the rear of the group, a blue-haired girl with braided pigtails kept scribbling words onto her hand and swallowing them.

Megumi Tadokoro had no idea how a failure like her, constantly on the verge of expulsion, had been chosen.

Especially when standing beside the Elite Ten, the pressure was crushing.

"Relax, relax. The Commander sometimes wants homestyle cooking too. That's your specialty, isn't it?"

The cat-eared maid tried her best to reassure the overly nervous country girl.

"!!!"

The moment they boarded the ship, the girls suddenly noticed there were some extraordinary people already there.

"Oh my, quite the crowd here, huh?"

"Little Erina, you came too?"

A big-sisterly woman in an apron with a side ponytail waved to the Totsuki students.

Beside her sat several others of similar age.

"Hinako Inui-sensei? Fumio-sensei?! Professor Jun Shiomi?!"

"You're here too?!"

Erina's eyes widened.

They were all graduates of Totsuki.

They had long since gone independent, running their own restaurants.

For the students, every graduate was someone to look up to.

"We heard there was another world and wanted to see its cuisine for ourselves."

Fumio explained briefly.

"Here, I feel I've reached the peak of my cooking. I need a new place to hone myself..."

"..."

The others nodded in agreement. Their thoughts were much the same.

Unlike the students, the graduates' reasoning was simpler.

Better to avoid offending an interstellar powerhouse. Instead, they could broaden their horizons in another world and continue polishing their craft.

"Hm? I heard you're going to duel against their chefs?"

"How bold. I'll go apply to be a judge, taste both sides' dishes..."

Fumio crouched on her chair, eyes scanning the students.

Brave, far too brave.

She had only one thought.

Before a shokugeki, one must always understand the opponent's strength before accepting—that was the wisdom of the seniors.

Only foolhardy students would charge ahead like this.

"..."

The students who had issued the challenge looked at each other, their expressions subtle.

Damn, they had walked right into something even the graduates wouldn't dare.

But since they had spoken, they had no choice but to go through with it.

...

Shua—

The starship passed through an anchor point.

Soon, the magnificent capital city of Constantinople appeared below their portholes.

"Whoa..."

The towering architecture of the interstellar era left the local girls speechless.

Even Tokyo couldn't compare to one ten-thousandth of Constantinople's splendor.

The sci-fi style of the ships and buildings aside, the sight of Angeloids soaring through the skies added an almost fantastical touch.

"What kind of cuisine would an interstellar civilization have?"

They began to wonder.

"Nutrient paste? I saw in documentaries that astronauts eat that. Surely they don't eat that down here, right? ..."

"It must be machine-processed. Molecular gastronomy is the future."

Alice raised her hand, lecturing the group.

"With technology this advanced, their molecular gastronomy must be far more developed."

She believed strongly in conceptual cuisine, excelling in using the most advanced scientific tools to cook like conducting chemistry experiments.

Alice felt certain that in a level 3.6 civilization like the Starsea Empire, their cooking style would be perfectly suited to her own.

"..."

The shipgirls simply smiled without comment.

Natives were natives. Cute, but lacking imagination.

The ship landed at a spaceport outside the capital.

With shuttles and Angeloids guiding them, the group was taken to the administrative center.

The building before them soared into the clouds, its footprint as vast as a small city.

Its azure walls gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

Only by riding a small craft could one reach the very top, where the Commander resided above the clouds.

Click—

Belfast pushed open the grand door, bowed to Setsuna, and stepped aside.

"Commander, they're here."

"Mm."

Setsuna glanced at the trembling girls, nervous to the point of shivering.

He stood and spoke slowly:

"Young chefs, welcome to the Starsea Empire. Here, you will experience true cuisine from across the multiverse, and the life of the interstellar era."

"But first, let me see your talents."

"You wanted to compete against the chefs of the interstellar age, correct?"

"!"

An imperial leader.

That was the first impression the Totsuki chefs had upon seeing Setsuna.

He carried a strange aura. Though not much older than themselves, the difference in presence was overwhelming.

Students who had spent their lives within the academy inevitably carried a scholarly or innocent air.

But the man before them reminded them of the elites they had only ever seen on TV or in movies.

Cold, powerful, unfathomable.

"Uu..."

Megumi Tadokoro hung her head low, rubbing her hands nervously against her skirt, looking terribly uneasy.

"Commander, look, you're scaring them."

Formidable nudged Setsuna.

"Don't be so tense. The Commander is a kind person, nanoda~"

Yukikaze poked the equally nervous Alice.

"Mhm, relax. I'll arrange your accommodations and daily lives here."

"You came to see the Starsea Empire's cuisine, and for the culinary duel, didn't you?"

Setsuna asked with a smile.

"Ah... yes."

Rindo and Erina, standing at the front, nodded first.

"Then let's do it by shokugeki standards. As for judges... myself, along with a few graduates and shipgirls, should be enough."

"Rest assured, we will fairly judge every dish."

Setsuna got straight to the point. He was far more approachable than they had imagined, and the girls breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way... doesn't a shokugeki usually have stakes?"

"Shouldn't we also add a wager?"

The cat-eared maid peeked in curiously.

At Totsuki, students decided everything through shokugeki—whether research clubs survived or not, or who held a seat in the Elite Ten.

A duel without equal stakes wasn't considered a true shokugeki.

"Eh?"

Everyone flinched.

They couldn't imagine what stakes they could put up against an interstellar emperor.

"If you win, as a reward, I'll grant you one not-too-excessive wish."

Setsuna said leisurely.

"As for losing..."

Before he finished, Grey shot her hand up:

"Send them all to the Eternal Snowfall to warm the Commander's bed!! Two shifts per day!"

"Ah??"

Erina's eyes widened in shock.

If an ordinary Earthling had dared say such a thing to her, she would've already smashed a soup bowl over their head.

But here, she had to restrain herself.

Bonk—

Setsuna rapped Grey lightly on the head.

"..."

Rindo thought for a moment.

"Then, as an equal stake, I'll promise you one request—as long as it's within my ability. If you want my cooking tools, I can even give them to you."

"..."

Setsuna smiled faintly.

For a chef, offering up their cooking tools as a wager took immense confidence and resolve.

For him, the match was mere entertainment, a way to spice up daily life.

For the Totsuki chefs, it was everything.

"Alright, go make your preparations. I look forward to your performance."

"My chefs are very eager to face you in battle."

...

"Whoa—"

The next day.

Inside the capital's grand banquet hall.

The chefs from the Shokugeki world marveled at the setting.

Luxurious.

Far more lavish than even the largest shokugeki arena at Totsuki.

The hall's vast center had been cleared by Angeloids for the competitors.

Cooking stations for both sides were laid out across from each other.

The Starsea Empire had provided every imaginable cooking utensil and tool.

Besides stoves, ovens, and grills, there was also a pile of strange equipment they had never seen before.

"The equipment is complete. Seems their culinary level must be quite advanced?"

Nene inspected the tools. Everything looked fine.

But then she pointed at a large drum-like metal machine, asking curiously:

"Is this also a kitchen tool? What's it for? I've never seen this at Totsuki."

"For plucking gryphons. It can also be used for smaller dragons."

Jeanne Alter answered expressionlessly.

"Gryphon? … Huh?"

A short distance away—

Setsuna sat at the judges' table with several shipgirls and Totsuki graduates. Beside him, the ahoge king sat as a special guest, eyes glowing with excitement.

The audience seats were packed with shipgirls and little lolis.

Culinary duels were rare in the Starsea Empire's history.

Especially when the challengers came from a gourmet world. Everyone was curious to see what tricks these young chefs had to offer.

By strength, Nene Kinokuni, Rindo Kobayashi, and Erina Nakiri of the Elite Ten, plus Alice Nakiri whose level was closest to them, would compete.

Hisako Arato, Megumi Tadokoro, Yoshino Yuuki, and the others watched from the sidelines, cheering them on.

"Ho~"

"Well then, let me be your opponent."

On the other side—

The Starsea Empire's chefs entered.

Dragon maid Tohru wore her maid outfit, topped with a chef's hat.

Behind her came Mio, Senti, the cat-eared maid, and Ning Hai.

"Wait, Commander, I get why Tohru and Ning Hai are competing, but why are little Senti and Cheshire here?"

Formidable was stunned by the lineup.

"Little Senti thought it sounded fun and insisted on signing up. If she loses, she'll get a spanking from the Commander."

"As for Cheshire, since there's a dark cuisine battle, I don't think anyone can match her mastery."

Richelieu cleared her throat.

"...Fair enough. In that case, her victory is assured."

With preparations complete, the duel began.

"This shokugeki will be five matches in total. Both sides will face off simultaneously, with themes decided by lottery."

"All ingredients are provided by the Starsea Empire—everyone, please look forward to it~~"

Kawashima Rei, in a JK uniform with a bow tie, naturally stepped up as host to introduce the event.

Shua—

The holoscreens displayed the matchups:

Tohru vs. Rindo Kobayashi.

Mio vs. Nene Kinokuni.

Senti vs. Erina Nakiri.

Ning Hai vs. Momo Akanegakubo.

Cheshire vs. Alice Nakiri.

Both sides took their stations, eager to begin.

"Each contestant, please write down five possible themes and place them in the lottery machine."

"The final result will be drawn from among them."

The Totsuki chefs thought carefully, each writing down ingredients they were most skilled with.

Nene unhesitatingly wrote soba, sushi, and other washoku staples.

Momo listed a variety of desserts.

Rindo, as expected, jotted down rare items like insects and crocodiles.

"I'll go first."

She stepped up to face her opponent, dragon maid Tohru.

"You draw. Any theme is fine."

Tohru spoke generously.

"Oh?"

Rindo chuckled lightly.

As the Elite Ten's second seat, her basics were impeccable, and she excelled at handling unusual ingredients.

Some were things only she at Totsuki could prepare.

"If I catch something strange, don't be surprised. Relax, I'll cook it deliciously~"

She even joked with Setsuna, brimming with confidence.

Shua—

She pulled out a slip at random.

Opening it, she froze.

[Chimera]

"?"

"What's this?"

Rindo and the other Totsuki chefs blinked, question marks popping over their heads.

"Oh, it's a specialty from my homeland. Kanna loves eating it. Tastes good, though a bit troublesome to process."

Tohru spread her hands.

Clang—

Two enormous cages were dragged over by Angeloids.

Inside, each held a lion-headed, goat-bodied monster with a serpent tail.

Boom!!!

The chimera roared, spewing a ball of fire that swirled within the forcefield cage.

Even from afar, the heat could be felt.

"Wha?!"

"Haa??!!"

The Totsuki students, along with the judges, went pale with fright.

"H-How can such monsters exist?!"

"I said it's a specialty. It's not even that strong—Kanna can hunt them easily."

Tohru answered nonchalantly.

She snapped her fingers, opening the cage. A magic circle flared, dropping the chimera instantly.

She began processing it smoothly.

"You'd better hurry. Chimera meat is tricky—needs detoxifying, de-fishing, tendon removal..."

The dragon maid kindly reminded her.

"???"

"Wait."

The Totsuki chefs realized, right from the first draw, this duel had completely surpassed their expectations.

Meanwhile—

Nene had also drawn her theme.

The green-haired girl pushed up her glasses, staring blankly at the slip.

[Kraken]

"???"

"What is this?!"

Rumble—

Several indescribable tentacles were dragged in.

The deep-black limbs writhed and twisted inside the cage. Each was at least as tall as a dozen-story building.

Even as severed pieces, they still thrashed violently, striking the cage with terrifying force.

"This one's from the Goblin Slayer world. Despite its size, only the tentacles are edible."

"I recommend sashimi. My husband loves it as a summer side dish."

Mio explained kindly to the bewildered chef.

"???"

"Ah?!"

Nene specialized in washoku—sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki...

But she had no idea how to transform the mountainous, otherworldly mass before her into her specialties.

Prepare the ingredient?

She now felt more like the ingredient was about to prepare her.

Did the Starsea Empire really eat this hardcore?!

Chapter 344: The Web of Woven Time

The clash between two Super Gods instantly transcended the laws of causality.

Within that brief span, Zhongli and Venti had already exchanged countless blows. Each strike carried mortal danger—one slip would mean grievous injury.

Though this was a Gift Game, it was also a battle of life and death. To enter the fight was to bear the resolve of killing one's opponent.

Even knowing it was impossible, they still exhausted every ounce of power.

Crack—

After more than a hundred million extreme clashes, Zhongli seemed to seize an opening. The Vortex Vanquisher pierced forward with force enough to penetrate several great universes, aimed at Venti's back.

At the level of Super God—even a low-tier Super God with only a single-digit number of universes—their full-force strike could pierce through ten great universes.

Of course, to pierce was not to destroy.

Just as the Vortex Vanquisher was about to pierce through Venti's divine body, a backlash of tearing resistance blocked it. A sky-blue greatsword, wielded as a shield in Venti's hands, stopped the spear.

"Old man, I don't just use a bow, you know. These ten thousand years haven't been for nothing. I might not match your mastery of every weapon, but against an equal, I won't fall behind."

That sky-blue greatsword was, of course, the Skyward Pride—formed through Pseudo Star Map Creation. Only Pseudo Star Map could resist Pseudo Star Map.

The two Pseudo Star Maps clashed head-on. The forces of two divine collectives converged here, with invisible ripples surging outward at every collision.

Like pebbles dropped again and again into a tranquil lake, wave after wave spread outward.

Crack, crack, crack—

Even the void itself began to fracture where their powers concentrated at a single point.

At that point, nearly eight great universes' worth of mass had gathered. Yet instead of exploding, it twisted ceaselessly.

The fissures of the void shimmered with multicolored light, crimson and violet dominant, streaks of dimensional force seeping outward.

If Teyvat's void were broken, beyond it lay the superdimension.

At Super God level, one could shatter the void and depart Teyvat into the superdimension by their own strength.

But as important gods of Teyvat, the further they strayed from the great world, the stronger the pull of gravity became. Once it surpassed their resistance, they would be dragged back—like iron filings drawn to a magnet that grew ever stronger.

A light sphere, dazzling even to Super Gods, formed at the point where the Pseudo Star Maps pressed together, swelling larger and larger.

The void's cracks multiplied, and more dimensional force poured in.

"So even the void shatters under full strength… I underestimated my own power." Zhongli himself was astonished.

Venti too was strained. This was no different than arm-wrestling—but with equal strength, neither could budge, only cracking the table beneath them.

"It's only the void fracturing. With dimensional force pouring in, perhaps the Dimensional Gap gains some nourishment."

"We don't need to keep trading like this, old man. Let's just clash head-on!"

"Strike me with your strongest move!"

Zhongli showed a trace of weariness. "Not merely strong… it's cruel."

Even at full force, he had still held back three parts of his power.

Venti broke the balance first. "Come on, old man!"

Rumble, rumble… crack, crack, crack—

Their stalemate ended. At the node where the Pseudo Star Map weapons met, the mass swelled until it engulfed half their weapons, then exploded at the ultimate critical point.

But this time, it was not a Big Bang. Instead, the void spanning more than a dozen great universes shattered in an instant like glass, splintering into webs of cracks.

From outside the arena, it looked as if the void itself had shattered into shards of glass. Dimensional force surged wildly, flooding the entire arena.

At the same time, countless void fragments drifted chaotically through the Dimensional Gap.

Hu Tao clicked her tongue. "This fight's way too intense. They've smashed the void itself into the Dimensional Gap."

Guizhong clenched her hands and bit her lip. "Is the gap between Super Gods and Almighty Gods truly this vast? Does this shatter humanity's common sense of omniscience and omnipotence—directly breaking the void and linking beyond Teyvat?"

Marchosius drew a deep breath. "The gap is indeed vast. Otherwise, why would Lord Heavenly Principle establish the ranks? There must be an essential difference."

"In terms of energy levels, an Almighty God is limited to a single universe. A Super God, however, has already broken free of that constraint, able to stack power without limit."

"To put it simply, it's like a human who has broken the biological limiter compared to one who hasn't."

"In Fontaine, isn't there a Supreme God called Saitama? He broke the biological limiter and can infinitely stack strength through training under a single law of power. He has only one law, unlike other gods—but by pushing one cosmic law to the end, then indirectly influencing other laws through it, he too reached Supreme God."

"Right now, Almighty God is already the endpoint for gods. But to surpass that—to become Super God—is to break the divine limiter."

"I call it the 'divine limiter.' Break it, and one can double the mass of a single universe and step into Super God."

"To break this limiter, one must either embody a philosophy, or become the ultimate evolutionary form of an entire system."

"As for leaders of divine collectives—once they gained their Pseudo Star Map, their limiter no longer existed."

Moon Carver cried out: "Look! The Sovereign has already entered close combat with that lord. Are they about to decide the victor?"

Xianyun grew tense. "I don't know… The Sovereign's battle has already far surpassed our comprehension."

Hu Tao waved her hand. "I can't tell either. I don't even know which of them is stronger. I've never seen either truly fight before."

...

The clash of the Vortex Vanquisher and Skyward Pride within the Dimensional Gap felt like silk fabric being torn apart.

The Dimensional Gap itself made no sound, but the shattering of laws and the wild turbulence of dimensional force struck even their divine souls.

Zhongli and Venti exchanged close-quarters strikes over a hundred million times. Even for gods of their rank, it was a dazzling spectacle.

Yet Zhongli, after all, was the Warrior God. He still surpassed Venti by a margin. That faint edge, across endless exchanges, gradually widened.

If they continued this way, the scales of victory would inevitably tilt toward Zhongli.

Venti grew strained, his eyes reflecting Zhongli's martial god-like stance.

I am not skilled in battle. If it continues like this, surely victory will be yours, old man… That's what you're thinking, isn't it?

But… before the origin of time itself, such an advantage may not hold.

Beyond hope, beyond freedom's wind—at the very beginning, I also shared a connection with Lady Istaroth.

Now, Lady Istaroth has become the Lawbearer of Time—the master of the river of time.

And this time, tied to that connection, I have already carried with me a trace of the great might of the Principle of Time.

Old man, you were indeed the mightiest, the oldest among the Seven. But in terms of connections… you may not surpass me.

[The wind brings seeds of stories, and time makes them sprout.]

Time as a law is a necessary force in constructing a great universe, and one of the most vital structural powers in ascending to Almighty God.

All-powerful, all-capable—such is the human understanding of omnipotence, not the perspective of an Almighty God.

In their eyes, they are far from omnipotent, even if they have mastered all the laws of a great universe.

Among the laws mastered, there exists a difference in weight and quality, a difference in how much they contribute to one's omnipotence.

Typically, one's origin law becomes the center that links to all others.

The old man's origin laws were the most numerous among the Seven Archons. Yet he did not possess time—the supreme law.

Even among laws of equal tier, there exists hierarchy. Though the old man's mastery encompassed the highest-level laws, even the highest could not compare to the supreme.

Barbatos was fortunate to hold time itself as his origin law.

Of course, time alone was not enough to defeat the strongest among the Seven Archons.

But this time came from Law itself, carrying with it a sliver of the might of Principle—even if only a trace.

And that trace was the hidden killing move the old man could not perceive.

As Super Gods, they saw through all laws—but only laws, not the higher principles above them.

Venti and Zhongli had clashed with their Pseudo Star Map weapons countless times. A hundred billion? That seemed like an earlier tally already surpassed.

Between Super Gods, unless the gap was truly immense, victory between near equals could take an eternity.

It was like the battles of the Magic Gods in A Certain Magical Index, where their exchanges were counted in kei—a kei being one trillion.

With so many strikes exchanged, injuries were inevitable.

Venti's chest was grazed by the Vortex Vanquisher, golden divine blood scattering into the Dimensional Gap. Though only the skin of his divine body was cut, its flawless defense had been broken.

Morax's face, too, was marked by the Skyward Pride. Golden blood seeped out, droplets scattering and drifting who knew where within the Dimensional Gap.

Now that this place connected to the superdimension, their divine blood drifted beyond Teyvat.

Even a single drop of blood from a powerful Super God could raise an entire planar world into a small universe, perhaps even one day into a great universe.

Now, countless drops of divine blood had fallen—who knew what worlds would obtain them.

Yet the blood of Teyvat's Super Gods was not so easily absorbed.

Any world that bore Teyvat's aura would be marked, and would inevitably merge into Teyvat, becoming part of its multiverse.

"They're bleeding…"

Kamisato Ayato opened his mouth in disbelief.

He could withstand the terror of the Seven's battle, but to see them bleed in battle against one another was beyond his understanding.

Super Gods did bleed in direct combat.

The concept of bleeding itself meant that even Super Gods could, in battle with each other, die.

To imagine the Shogun-sama, who could casually create universes and whose divine thought radiated across endless worlds, truly dying—it was beyond him.

It was not that he could not accept the death of gods. It was that he could not conceive of gods beyond his understanding perishing.

Kitsune Saiguu shook her head, her pipe trembling in her hand. "Of course they can die. All gods in Teyvat can die—except for Lord Heavenly Principle, the Lords of Truth, and the Sustainers of Heavenly Principles. As long as Lord Heavenly Principle exists, so too do they."

Lord Heavenly Principle was absolute. The Lords of Truth would not perish even if Teyvat itself ceased. And the Sustainers shared the power of Lord Heavenly Principle; as long as he existed, so did they.

Raiden Ei raised her hand and lightly tapped Kitsune Saiguu on the head, a hint of reproach in her eyes.

She did not want to hear the word "death." Memories of her sister's passing could resurface too easily.

"Ow" Kitsune Saiguu rubbed her head helplessly. "Ei"

Yae Miko, at her side, covered her face with her hand, hiding her laughter. Only her eyes, curved in mirth, peeked out.

Raiden Makoto widened her eyes at the arena. "They're about to decide the victor! That drunkard actually had such a hidden trump card!"

"As expected… as one of the Seven from our era, who knows how many secrets are hidden behind him!"

All eyes turned sharply toward the arena.

Raiden Ei opened her mouth, speaking with grave weight. "This is… the Principle of Time?"

As one who had entered Eden and the Temple of Truth, she was deeply familiar with the aura of Principles.

Thus, she sensed it instantly.

Kamisato Ayaka, regaining her composure, suddenly remembered and exclaimed:

"I recall it now! When Acting Grand Master Jean invited me to the Windblume Festival, I learned of Mondstadt's earliest myths. Though the stories were hazy, only fragments remained…"

"One tale mentioned a god who governed time, and even told of rituals once held in that god's honor. But as the ley lines shifted, the place of worship became isolated overseas, and over time people abandoned those rites."

"That god of time was deeply connected to Lord Barbatos."

"Putting all this together, that god of time must be Lady Istaroth."

"And Lord Barbatos must carry within him power tied to Lady Istaroth."

...

Those within the arena could not perceive their own situation, but those outside saw it clearly.

Yet the Principle of Time was too high a concept—only Almighty Gods and above could discern its subtle traces.

Nahida spoke softly, "Unbelievable… the most ancient, Morax, has fallen into a trap. He is about to be defeated."

Odin asked quickly, "I only sensed it was tied to Principle. What did you see?"

Nahida explained, "Barbatos is like a spider weaving threads of the Principle of Time into a web. He only needs to wait for the moment when the prey falls into the net—then there will be no escape, no counterattack."

As a counterpart of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the embodiment of Truth, she possessed vision beyond the ordinary.

Through her eyes, she saw Morax and Barbatos locked in desperate combat.

Barbatos still appeared to be at a disadvantage.

But with each of his movements, strands woven from the Principle of Time were cast out.

Now, he had already woven a web spanning the entire arena.

The finishing blow would come the instant the net closed.

...

Venti barely blocked one of Zhongli's strikes, his arm torn open, his face twisted in pain, as though he could not hold on much longer.

"Barbatos, you are about to lose." Morax's golden eyes radiated divine majesty as though made substance.

"Old man… you're really ruthless… One last strike to decide it all!"

Chapter 84: This Is Miss Raiden’s Righteous Backstab!!

As the blinding golden light faded… before their eyes stretched an endless ocean of green fields and fresh flowers beneath a blue sky where water met the horizon. In an instant it was as though they had stepped into another world—completely different from the dark oppression of moments before.

Sweet birdsong rose now and then around them. Colorful butterflies danced through the blossoms. Clear water flowed ceaselessly along narrow channels. All these sounds mingled together at their ears, weaving a fresh melody.

"…This is inside the Grail?"

How strange… as though cut off from the world. Fiore stood dazed. It was her first time seeing something so beautiful.

[Emm… it is indeed lovely. What do you think, Shogun?]

Ei interjected at the right moment.

'It's fine.'

[Pfft…]

Ei smiled slightly. Clearly drawn in, yet still being stubborn.

'What are you laughing at? Nolaughter.'

The Shogun rebuked her in mild annoyance. Sometimes if she didn't push back, that fox would go too far.

[Nothing at all.]

Ei replied playfully, just as stubborn.

The Shogun wanted to retort but, with serious business ahead and a girl in tow, she chose to let it go. Time must not be wasted.

"Though it's beautiful, we must not let it delay us. Let's continue."

She answered the girl at her side, then stepped onward into the distant sea of flowers.

"Ah… mm!"

Fiore snapped out of it and quickly nodded, controlling the mechanical arm behind her as she followed the Shogun.

After walking a while, they saw two figures ahead—a man and a woman. The man was unmistakably Amakusa. But the woman? They did not yet know.

"Stay here."

The Shogun instructed Fiore, then quietly dissolved into violet motes of light.

"…Alright."

Fiore stood obediently where she was, like a well-behaved daughter waiting for the Shogun's return.

On the other side… Amakusa Shirou Tokisada was speaking with the silver-haired woman before him—

"You are the embodiment of the Greater Grail?"

Amakusa asked.

"Let us say so… may I ask what you seek?"

She nodded slightly, polite. Of course she knew his purpose. None could arrive here without reason. But by her position she had to ask.

"You should already know. I want you to grant my wish."

Amakusa answered bluntly.

"A wish…? May I ask what it is?"

The woman sighed inwardly.

"I wish to save all mankind."

His voice trembled with excitement he could not hide, for soon his dream would be reality!

"…"

But she fell silent a moment, then shook her head in regret.

"I am sorry. I cannot grant your wish."

"!"

Amakusa's body shuddered. He almost thought he had misheard.

"Why?!"

His tone grew agitated.

"Are you not able to grant any wish?! Why can you not grant mine?!"

He was nearly hysterical.

"You misunderstand."

Still calm, she shook her head.

"It can be done in itself. But the time for granting has not yet come."

"What do you mean?"

Amakusa asked.

"Because… the Holy Grail War is not yet over."

At this, he understood. Heh… so that was all? He had been frightened for nothing.

"I see. No matter. Black has been completely defeated. I assure you the winner of this Holy Grail War is me."

He answered with full confidence.

"…And how am I to believe you? If you deceive me or break the rules… the consequences will be dire."

Her crimson eyes narrowed as she spoke gravely.

"You need not worry. I stake my life on it—the victor is me. So please grant my wish."

"…Very well."

She looked at the gray-haired man before her, about to speak, but the next second sensed a presence. Closing her eyes as if in resignation, she said:

"You said it yourself—you stake your life on it."

"Indeed. So—"

"Regrettably, the victor of this war has yet to be decided."

The woman suddenly cut him off, her crimson eyes opening coldly as she met his gaze, words striking at his heart.

"Hah?"

Stab!!!

But he had no time to react. In the next instant, a blade wreathed in thunder pierced into his back, running through his body. Blood sprayed, yet the droplets vanished the moment they touched the woman's robes.

"…!"

Amakusa froze, dumbfounded, then lowered his gaze to the blade protruding from his chest… and the crimson pooling at his feet and seeping through his hands.

"Wha—ghk!"

His throat constricted, and he coughed up a gush of blood onto the vibrant grass, staining it red.

"You… you!!"

His expression twisted hideously. The composure he once carried was gone. Turning with pain, he saw her—the kimono-clad woman in her true form—staring at him coldly.

Twist!

Musou Isshin churned inside him, tearing his organs apart. His body lost strength, and he collapsed to his knees.

"Uaaaaghhh!!!"

Amakusa screamed in agony. Not only from the wound, but from the lightning corroding his insides. The blade of Musou Isshin radiated violet light, which spread from his torn flesh, flooding his entire body.

"You fulfilled your promise."

The Shogun looked down at the man she had stabbed in the back, her tone mocking his earlier proud vow. A life wagered—indeed, it was being paid.

"Ugh! Cough! Why… why are you here?"

Assassin… Lancer… Caster—all defeated? How strong was she, to break through three layers of defense so quickly?!

"Has Assassin… fallen?"

Barely clinging to consciousness, he asked weakly.

"You, her Master, know nothing of her state? Your ideals have blinded you."

"Shut up!!! Cough!!"

He roared in fury, coughing blood.

"What about Caster?!"

"He let me in. He wished to witness your tragedy. We made a bargain."

"!!"

At that, Amakusa convulsed in rage.

"Urrghhh!!! Caster!! I should have killed you from the start!!"

His face, drenched in blood, twisted in hysteria. The whites of his eyes flushed with crimson. Meanwhile, violet light surged up his neck, burning away his organs one by one. He hadn't even managed to use a Command Seal.

"My… ideal!! You… all… deserve death!!!"

With his final scream, the thunder within burst through his flesh, shattering him into dust-like motes. From head to toe, his body disintegrated into the sky—leaving not even a corpse behind.

Whoosh!

The Shogun, unwilling to hear his noise any longer, pulled Musou Isshin free and lowered it by her side, leaving him to vanish without a trace.

"Congratulations, the victors of the Holy Grail War—Saber and her Master."

After Amakusa's departure, the woman approached the Shogun with respect, bowing once more. From afar, Fiore also walked over, standing at the Shogun's side, staring in a daze at the sight before her.

To her, this moment felt like a dream. That she had truly won seemed unbelievable. Yet she knew full well—her victory was thanks entirely to the woman at her side. She was sincerely grateful, from the depths of her heart. If possible, she would devote her entire life to repaying that debt.

"Earlier… why did you not warn him?"

But the Shogun turned and asked the woman this question—clearly referring to Amakusa. The woman had sensed her presence, yet said nothing. In a way, she had indirectly led him to his death.

"…"

The woman, of course, understood. She shook her head in silence.

"I am but the embodiment of the Grail, not a participant in this war. My role is to observe from the side, to maintain fairness. If I had warned him, your plan would have failed. Then the fault would lie with me. Thus silence was best."

If Amakusa noticed, that was his skill. If he died, that was a matter of strength. Everything lay between the two combatants—not her. Moreover, she had hinted subtly, but he had still been distracted, struck down before he realized.

"…That is reasonable. Very well, I will trust you, for now."

The Shogun did not pursue the matter further. She had no desire to. It was over. Once Fiore's wish was granted, everything would be finished.

The woman bowed once again.

"Um… are you… the Grail itself?"

Fiore asked timidly. The question felt foolish even to her, but she truly did not know the Greater Grail could take human form.

"I am the manifested form of one once called the Holy Maiden of Winter—Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern."

The silver-haired beauty bowed politely, giving a name that at least sounded credible.

"Einzbern…"

Fiore's eyes widened slightly. Of course she had heard the name. Any magus would.

"Indeed. Strictly speaking, I am more like a terminal—a vessel. Not truly her."

The woman turned, stepping into the sea of flowers. Gazing at the colorful blossoms and azure sky, she spoke softly.

"In that time, I was born here through her hand, hidden within the Grail, waiting for each generation's victor."

Turning back, her crimson eyes met theirs.

"And today… at last, you have arrived."

For once, a gentle smile touched her lips.

The Shogun tilted her head slightly, considering her words.

"Then… speak your wish."

The woman returned to stand before them.

"Before that… I have a question."

At the Shogun's words, Fiore glanced at her instinctively. She thought she knew what would be asked—for she, too, had wondered.

"Very well. Please ask."

The woman resembling Justeaze replied.

"Could Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's wish truly have been granted?"

Could the wish to save all humanity really be fulfilled by her hand?

"The answer is, regrettably… yes. It could."

The woman nodded.

"!"

Fiore's eyes widened, brows furrowing.

"…How?"

The Shogun's voice showed no emotion, only a calm upward glance.

"In truth… from a broad perspective, saving all humanity is impossible. Humans are complex beings. Even in peace, they find ways to stir up strife."

"In that case, only one path remains: force. Not through their bodies—that is unrealistic. But through their souls. The Greater Grail is a vessel of the Third Magic, a key to the materialization of souls. By reversing it, material can be made into soul. Thus, the Third Magic could be spread across all existence. And what would follow from that… I believe the two of you can already imagine."

Yes… her hint had been all too clear. Humanity's flesh would vanish, their souls ascending. That was how "saving all mankind" would look. It would mean the extinction of humanity.

Fiore shuddered at the thought. Thankfully, the Shogun had struck Amakusa down. Otherwise, matters would have grown far more complicated.

[Truly terrifying…]

Ei murmured.

'Do not fear.'

The Shogun gently comforted her.

Pfft…

Ei laughed softly at her tone. It was like being soothed by a mother stroking her child's head. She knew the Shogun meant it sincerely, but she could not help but laugh.

"…Enough digression. His matter aside, the victors now stand before me. State your wishes."

The woman sighed, shaking her head, returning the topic.

"I have no need of the Grail. Fiore, the chance is yours."

The Shogun shook her head, leaving it to her.

"Eh? But… uhm…"

Fiore hesitated, embarrassed. The Shogun had done so much, and she…

"It matters not. Bringing you here was our agreement. Besides, I never intended to rely on the Grail to realize my wish. Eternity must be achieved by our own hands."

Seeing the girl's unease, the Shogun soothed her. Fiore need not worry.

The woman turned her gaze to Fiore, waiting.

"U-um… I… I want…"

Fiore's cheeks flushed. She hesitated, then finally said:

"I want… my legs to be healed. Is that possible?"

She knew her wish was small, even selfish—so unlike Amakusa's grandiose ideal. Guilt welled up inside her. A part of her almost wanted the woman to say, "No, it cannot be done." That might have eased her heart.

"..."

The woman blinked, then lowered her gaze, smiling faintly. So that was it. Such a wish was almost endearing.

"Of course. Let me see."

She knelt before Fiore.

"Mm…"

Fiore let her mechanical arms set her gently on the grass. She folded her hands over her legs, sitting in a duck-like position, her legs limp.

The silver-haired woman placed her hand on Fiore's thighs. A faint glow spread, revealing her magic circuits.

The Shogun crouched as well, watching closely.

"…Your paralysis stems from your innate circuits. They are excellent, but since childhood they have drawn away your legs' nourishment, robbing you of the power to walk. To cure you, the circuits must be erased."

She lifted her hand, meeting Fiore's gaze.

"…I see…"

Fiore's face fell, though without surprise. She had always known: to walk again meant losing her circuits, her identity as a magus. She would be ordinary.

"There is no other way?"

The Shogun asked.

"Regrettably, no. The Grail's process follows rules. It does not grant without cause. Please understand."

The woman bowed her head apologetically.

"It's alright… Shogun, I'm fine. I decided long ago. Even if I lose my circuits… I want to stand on this earth with my own legs."

Fiore's eyes burned with determination. The Shogun saw it clearly.

"If that is your resolve, I will not object."

She sighed softly.

"Yes… I have decided. Please."

Fiore looked up at the silver-haired woman, asking earnestly.

"Very well. Victors of the Grail War… I shall now grant your noble desire."

Vmmm~

Warm white light radiated from her hand, flowing into Fiore's legs, enveloping them. She felt something slipping away inside her—not pain, but a tingling numbness.

After half a minute, the glow faded. Her legs lay whole.

"It is done."

The woman rose.

"!"

Fiore tried moving them—her legs. They responded. Even the smallest motion filled her with joy. Tears welled as she cast aside her mechanical arms and slowly stood, trembling like a newborn.

Her body wavered. She clenched her thighs, trying to stay upright. At last she faltered, but the Shogun caught her, sparing her a fall.

"Your legs are newly healed. Take it slow. Do not rush."

She set the girl gently back on the grass.

"Mm… I… Shogun… thank you… thank you… sob…"

Fiore's voice broke as tears streamed down her face. They were tears of joy, tears of long-held hope fulfilled, tears of gratitude. Her life had been changed.

She had become ordinary. Yet she could stand again. For her, the price was worth it.

"Hah…"

The Shogun sighed, wiping away her tears with her fingers. Fiore's face was blotched like a little cat's.

[Sigh… such is the nature of wishes.]

'?'

The Shogun blinked, surprised Ei had spoken.

[Pursuing wishes makes us lose more. The more we lose, the stronger the wish. And in the end… everything slips away.]

'Ei…'

[Forgive me… I've said too much. I did not mean to trouble you. I simply felt moved by this girl's choice.]

Perhaps… all wishes are like that.

Chapter 97: Lord Kayneth Moves to Strike

Within the distant castle, the man everyone spoke of—Kiritsugu Emiya—was at that very moment awaiting one of his greatest foes.

That foe was none other than one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, a leading genius of the Department of Spiritual Evocation, the heir to the Aristocratic Faction's future leadership…

And the very man whose workshop had been annihilated by Kiritsugu's explosives—Kayneth.

As a meticulous and methodical magus, Lord Kayneth had already begun collecting intelligence during the very first battle between Karna and the Servant called Satsuki, using both magecraft and the detection functions of specialized Mystic Codes.

At that time, he had clearly observed that the Knight King, Saber, stood alongside Kiritsugu Emiya.

Later, during the infamous hotel bombing, Saber had appeared once more. At that point, Kayneth immediately seized upon the opportunity—pushing Kiritsugu into the role of the "common enemy" of magi.

After witnessing the full might displayed by the other Servants, Kayneth's mindset had changed completely. He no longer underestimated anyone in this Holy Grail War. Casting aside arrogance, he now regarded every Master as an opponent who demanded his full effort.

Slaying Caster might earn him Command Seals as reward, but the existence of Saber marked Kiritsugu as his greatest threat. Thus, he dared not let Lancer stray from his side.

Confident in his own strength—and armed with intelligence provided in cooperation with the Holy Church—Kayneth resolved to infiltrate Einzbern Castle.

He had heard much of Kotomine Kirei's abilities: a prodigious Executor, with overwhelming advantages against magi. With such a figure as ally, Kayneth felt reassured. At the very least, he need not fear being attacked from behind—for clearly, the Einzbern family stood in alliance with Kiritsugu.

"Strange. I recall that Miss Iphis was also of the Einzbern family. And Saber, too, is connected to them… Is this what the priest meant when he said two Einzbern factions were involved in this war?"

That thought made Kayneth redouble his caution.

Yet even as he embraced this bold challenge, his confidence never wavered. Whatever defenses the Einzberns had prepared, he bore the resolve to shatter them—staking the honor of the Archibald family name upon it.

He could not let last night's humiliation at Sola's rebuke go unanswered. To erase that insult, he needed to display courage of this level.

For Kayneth, winning back his fiancée's respect was now his foremost priority.

His fighting spirit surged as he advanced deeper into the forest. Though the woods were veiled in illusion, Kayneth's rare intellect and instinct allowed him to deduce the structure of the bounded field. He located its core with ease.

The genius of the Department of Spiritual Evocation had a reputation for good reason.

"If Einzbern magecraft is only of this level, then their defenses inside the castle cannot be much stronger."

Thus Kayneth strode on with confidence. Though many of his Mystic Codes had been destroyed in the hotel collapse, his greatest trump card—the "Supreme Mystic Code"—was still on hand. With one of the strongest Servants, Lancer, at his side, he felt no lack of power.

The forest trees gave way, revealing the ancient stone fortress before him.

"So this is the famed northern magi family's seat… As a relocated castle, it is indeed an impressive construction."

But Kayneth, as the scion of House Archibald, was unimpressed. Even as the castle's grandeur pressed upon him, it only drew a scoff.

"After I rid myself of the Einzberns, I could claim this place as a new base…"

True, the Hyatt Hotel had been restored by Satsuki's power, but its magical systems were utterly ruined. Many physical components had been damaged beyond simple restoration. It could no longer serve as a magus's workshop.

And after that catastrophe, the Hyatt had been transformed into a tourist attraction and filming location. Hardly suitable for a proper base of operations.

Having lost the Hyatt Hotel as his base, Kayneth had temporarily taken over an abandoned factory in the suburbs as a hideout, stashing Sola there. Unsurprisingly, his fiancée's mood had sunk to its lowest—such squalid surroundings were an affront to Kayneth's pride.

Under his arm he carried a massive porcelain vessel, which he now set upon the ground. The bottle, enchanted to lessen its weight, sank heavily into the earth the moment he released it—for in truth, it weighed nearly one hundred and forty kilograms.

"Fervor, mei sanguis."

With the incantation, the bottle's contents began to spill forth—a sticky, metallic substance that gleamed like polished silver. The mercury-like liquid, roughly ten liters in volume, slithered from the bottle's mouth, quivering into a floating sphere as if alive.

This was Kayneth's pride, his greatest Mystic Code in combat: the Volumen Hydrargyrum.

"Automatoportum defensio. AutonlatoporIunl quaerere. Dilectus incursio."

With his chant, the sphere of quicksilver rippled in response, quaking softly as it followed him toward the castle gates.

Gifted with the exceedingly rare dual affinities of "Water" and "Wind," Kayneth had mastered the shared principle of fluid manipulation. His unique creation allowed mercury infused with magecraft to serve as weapon—malleable into any shape he desired.

The formless liquid could become blade, spear, or whip.

"Scalp!"

At his cry, a portion of the silver sphere stretched into a long, ribbon-like whip. It lashed forward at the gates—only to flatten, compressing into a razor-thin sheet just before impact. In an instant, it became a blade sharper than any steel, slicing clean through the heavy lock as if it were soft tofu. With a thunderous crash, the doors toppled inward.

Mercury was a dense, heavy liquid. Driven at high velocity under immense pressure, its kinetic energy was devastating. And when sharpened, its edge could surpass even lasers.

Brimming with confidence, Kayneth strode forward. Before the Volumen Hydrargyrum, no defense—be it titanium or diamond—could stand.

Having cleared the obstacle, he proceeded with caution, yet full composure, into the grand hall.

Crystal chandeliers shone overhead. The marble floor gleamed, polished to perfection, unmarred by any flaw. The still air carried only Kayneth's presence. None emerged to greet him.

"Ninth Head of House Archibald, Kayneth El-Melloi, presents himself!"

Standing tall, hands clasped behind his back, he proclaimed loudly into the empty hall.

"Kiritsugu Emiya! This is a battle between you and I alone. I have no wish to drag the ancient Einzbern family into it. If you are a man, then face me yourself!"

Yet no reply came. It was as if his challenge fell on deaf ears.

Though he had expected as much, the silence weighed heavily as he strode further inside.

"Master, be careful. Traps have been laid here—and I sense no trace of Saber's mana."

Lancer, Karna himself, materialized with his spear at the ready. His keen senses warned of danger. Yet he trusted in his Master's strength—Kayneth was no ordinary magus, but one who stood at the pinnacle of modern magecraft.

Since their brief encounter with Chaldea's group, their bond had deepened. Karna now held greater faith in this Holy Grail War, bolstered by his Master's conviction.

Still, this was enemy territory, and their foe was not one to fight by conventional means. Karna remained on guard.

Following hidden wires, Karna swept his spear across several vases arranged around the hall. They shattered instantly.

From the broken vessels spilled not flowers, but explosives—Claymore anti-personnel mines.

Designed to unleash over seven hundred steel balls, each one to two millimeters wide, in a fan-shaped blast, these weapons could obliterate entire groups of infantry in an instant. At the center of such an explosion, no one would escape.

But here, disarmed before they could trigger, the mines were destroyed by Karna's intervention.

"Tch."

Kayneth sneered at such crude tricks, his disdain extending toward the Einzbern household itself.

"So this is the gulf in dignity between magi."

Unimpressed, he pressed deeper into enemy ground.

From a concealed CCD camera, Kiritsugu Emiya watched his approach. He studied Kayneth closely, the image leaving no doubt.

Alone and without Saber by his side, Kiritsugu had no chance of victory in direct confrontation. Even with such traps, probing his enemy's strength seemed impossible.

Entrusting Saber to Irisviel had been a dangerous move.

It meant that in this Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya had willingly abandoned his most crucial support.

In the present situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides, such a decision was undeniably foolish.

When had he become so foolish?

Kiritsugu could not answer his own question. He had grown so used to coldness and silence, so used to detachment, that he had long ceased to react. This had driven both Saber and his beloved wife to resentment.

And then there was Maiya Hisau—the woman who entrusted everything to him without a word. During his nine years in hiding, it was Maiya who handled all his affairs in the outside world.

She had never questioned his actions, never objected to his cold words. Perhaps to her, what she sought from him was no longer the worth of a person, but simply the value of a tool.

So, when he revealed his plan last night, both women had been shocked.

The Kiritsugu they knew was a man who would coldly calculate everything for his dream, coldly use everyone, and finally coldly seize victory.

He had once been the man who could weigh human lives as numbers on a scale without hesitation, making decisions based on quantity alone.

But last night, as he stood on the balcony overlooking the castle's front hall, leaning against the railing and staring at the forest under the night sky, tears had slipped down his face—like those of a wounded, helpless child.

—He had begun to doubt his former self.

He now seemed cornered, far from the image of the formidable "Magus Killer," appearing instead as a powerless, hesitant man.

When one bears too much blood on their hands, when guilt covers them, and if they still possess a conscience, they are gradually drowned in that guilt until they can no longer endure it—until they long to die for redemption.

Kiritsugu had once found a way to numb his torment: by transforming himself completely into a heartless machine. A being who knew only killing, only the goal. He had strived never to regret—but the guilt had continued to grow regardless… consuming all humanity within him as he fought to exhaustion.

This had been Kiritsugu's life, the life he had forced upon himself for the sake of a harsh ideal, driving himself into such a state.

But now, Kiritsugu had changed. He had become fragile. Since the hotel bombing, when he had seen, among the evacuees, a mother and daughter the same age as Illya and Irisviel, crying in despair—

In that moment, all strength had left him. He could no longer convince himself that sacrificing others for victory was worthwhile.

Especially after witnessing the Heroic Spirits' power—enough to overturn the world—another voice had risen in his heart:

"In the end, you are no hero of this world. You're merely an executioner who sacrifices others for your personal ideal…

"When you weigh your choices, your actions are only slaughter. You've never truly measured the worth of those you choose to sacrifice…

"Give it up. There are heroes far greater than you in this world. After seeing such power, what reason do you have to go on carrying your sins?"

…

His thoughts returned to the image of Kayneth on the monitor. The faint scent of tobacco began to rise from his clothes again—a scent he had banished for nine years for the sake of Irisviel and Illya. Today, it had returned.

"From now on—I will give everything for our family. I will use my life to protect you and Illya."

He had tried to convince himself, and his gentle wife, with those words.

But—

"That's impossible. Kiritsugu Emiya, you cannot escape. If you abandon the Grail, abandon the ideal of saving the world, you will never forgive yourself. You yourself will become your final judge, pronouncing your own death sentence."

Yes. He had sentenced himself to death.

And he knew it. He had known, for a long time, that he no longer had any choice.

Thus, at last, he acted according to his heart—transferring Saber and the Command Spells to his wife, sending Maiya to remain with them. In this way, he could minimize the sacrifices demanded by the war.

"So this is how easy it feels to sacrifice myself… Perhaps I should have chosen this path long ago."

With that thought, he embraced his fate and, without hesitation, chose to face the intruding foe as a magus.

At that moment, he finally regained the sharp edge once associated with the feared "Magus Killer."

"Kayneth must be combing the first floor, searching room by room for me. With Lancer at his side, my opportunities are slim."

"Right now, I'm at the far end of the second floor. If I move quickly, I should still have time to choose ground more favorable for the fight."

Kiritsugu reviewed the mental map of the castle as he moved from his room toward the entrance—then stopped in his tracks.

At the keyhole of the door hung a single droplet of mercury, suspended like a spider's thread. Though tiny, he saw it drip downward, leaving a silvery streak on the door's surface.

Just as he noticed it, the droplet froze mid-fall—then, like a living creature, slithered back up the streak into the keyhole.

"…So. Automatic search, is it?"

Even as the realization struck, a flash of silver burst through the carpet beneath him.

In an instant, the center of the room's floor was sliced into a neat circle and collapsed downward. From the hole surged a silver tentacle.

Before his eyes, the Volumen Hydrargyrum took on a new form, like a metallic jellyfish. Its countless tendrils filled the opening, spreading outward like the ribs of an umbrella. At their center stretched a platform—upon which stood Kayneth, smiling smugly.

"At last I've found you, Kiritsugu Emiya…"

But before Kayneth could savor his triumph, Kiritsugu had already drawn a compact submachine gun from his holster and opened fire.

The Hydrargyrum reacted instantly, forming a protective membrane before Kayneth, absorbing the rain of 9mm rounds with ease. Fifty bullets were spent in mere seconds.

Yet those seconds were all Kiritsugu needed for his incantation.

"Time Alter—Double Accel."

At the words, prana surged wildly through his body.

"Scalp!"

As the last round left the barrel, Kayneth's voice rang out—a death sentence. Twin mercury whips lashed forward in a pincer strike, aiming to crush the prey before him.

"—What!?"

But it was Kayneth who cried out in surprise.

At the very instant the whips should have struck, Kiritsugu's body blurred with impossible speed, evading the attack and leaping down into the gap beneath Kayneth's platform.

The swiftness of his movement was utterly unreasonable. No ordinary man could achieve such speed.

"Oh? So you know some magecraft after all? But still—"

BOOM!!!

Before Kayneth could finish, a deafening blast roared up from below.

Chapter 184: Beyond Vela

"Self-acquired? Truly exceptional—no surprise, Charlie, that she is your child. Yes, Charlie, her aptitude for Geass is unquestionable. With nothing but the lingering will of a dead Code bearer, not only has she gained a Geass of her own, but in the process activated the Geass ruins beneath Königsberg."

"So, brother, are you planning to reveal the Ragnarök Connection to Vela?"

The voice was tender and childlike, yet its tone was that of an elder. Soon, another voice—aged, steady, and commanding—responded. Strangely, the latter addressed the former as "brother."

"I have considered it. But not in full detail."

V.V., current High Priest of the Geass Order, former member of the Britannian royal family, and Emperor Charles' elder brother, gazed pensively at the strange world before him, dyed entirely in the hues of a golden dawn.

Above the sea of clouds floated an altar of vast stone slabs, fitted together like a puzzle.

This was [C's World].

The collective unconscious of humanity, the sea of spirit and memory, the ocean of samsara, the Greater Will.

"Charlie, none of your children yet know of the Ragnarök Connection, do they?"

With a childish form yet the tone of a senior, V.V. continued without looking back: "Schneizel is competent, but he lacks the necessary strong desire and selfhood. That means his aptitude for raising his Geass to the stage of both eyes is low."

"Now that Vela has obtained a Geass, why not bring her into our circle? With her ability, she will surely aid you in conquering the surface world and seizing all the Geass ruins across it."

"In the younger generation of royals, having one more confidant to help mask and confuse the truth would be no bad thing."

"Oh? Confuse?"

Charles opened his eyes.

Standing beside his child-sized elder brother, the Emperor, robed in a cloak adorned with heraldic splendor, spoke evenly. He had caught the key in V.V.'s words. "Did the Geass Order agents you sent to Area 11 encounter unexpected complications, brother?"

His rebellious son was even now in Area 11, misusing the power of Geass.

Killing Clovis, naming himself ZERO, defying Cornelia, creating the so-called Black Knights…

For all the noise he made, in truth, confined to one small corner of Area 11—and even there, unable to fully control it. Against the Holy Britannian Empire, with such a disparity in strength, it was obvious: Geass played the critical role.

And to master such newfound power would inevitably take time.

No matter how brilliant, the arrogance of gaining power and the desperate hunger for revenge would lead to slips. Surely he had left behind traces—rough, immature methods failing to cover his tracks.

"There are some."

V.V. inclined his head lightly, kindly explaining:

"Jeremiah Gottwald and Villetta Nu, the Purists who fell into disgrace after the Orange incident. Knightmare pilots who lost their mechs and memories. Families of Order researchers who perished. Bartley, who once captured C.C. for study. Euphemia, seeking the truth of her brother's death…"

These, whether cursed by Geass or bereaved by the Black Knights' mounting terror attacks—

Especially the former—some had begun to sense something was wrong.

They had proposed hypotheses, speculated that ZERO wielded some kind of hypnotic power, even if they did not know of Geass by name.

"Concerning Geass, until the trumpet of god-slaying resounds, the fewer who know, the better."

V.V. tilted his head, his voice calm as he asked: "Back to the point, Charlie. Regarding Vela, what is your view?"

"If it is brother's wish, then so be it."

"As expected, in the end, only brothers truly understand one another."

V.V.'s expression softened into satisfaction, plainly pleased. Turning, he continued, "Charlie, our dream will absolutely be realized…"

So declaring with joy and resolve, he descended the stone steps of the altar, his figure fading into the golden haze of dawn.

Only Emperor Charles remained, standing tall.

He quietly watched his brother's departing back.

Though his smile seemed gentle, his eyes held frost—complex, with disappointment, melancholy, but above all, anger. The air subtly shifted.

"Brother, you are lying again."

...

Königsberg Cathedral, underground crypt.

Now.

"So, above Geass lies the Code, [C's World], the Thought Elevator… The global conquest of Britannia is not only the great work of unifying the planet, but also to seize the Geass ruins scattered across it? What secrets have Uncle and Father uncovered? A hyperdimensional network project of some ancient civilization?"

The Thought Elevator, according to V.V., was the system within the Geass ruins spread across the world. Its functions included linking the real world to [C's World], transporting people into designated areas within [C's World], and so on.

To Vela's mind—simply put, a network. A crude and partially modified version of one.

Lowering her gaze to the childlike figure of her uncle, Vela quickly composed herself from her moment of incredulity, shook her head thoughtfully, and asked knowingly: "So, Father now chooses to reveal to me the truth of the inner world. What does he require of me?"

Vela's direct approach drew V.V.'s satisfied nod.

"This is what I most appreciate about you."

Toward such a gifted, capable, pragmatic niece, V.V. held no malice.

He met her blazing left eye, marked with the fiery Geass bird, without fear.

As a Code bearer, above Geass, he could read from the vibrant psychic waves of her Geass some of her traits.

Arrogance. Greed. Domineering will…

Beneath her seemingly refined exterior lay an arrogance carved into her very soul. To conquer the world, scourge it with the whip, to see the throne as already hers…?

V.V. was struck.

Such commanding aura—far beyond what he or Charlie had possessed at her age…

But still.

The Ragnarök Connection was truth. All else was ephemeral.

Vela was impressive, yes, but her scope and vision were too narrow, bound to the physical world of lies and human masks.

She was not a femme fatale to blunt Charles' blade, nor one of those despised, disinherited wretches.

Compared to the true, mutual understanding Charles had with Marianne, Vela's harmony with Charles was but tactical. Their ideals were destined to clash. They would never understand one another.

The one who truly understood him remained his brother.

The vow between him and Charles still stood!

Unaware of the thoughts of her obsessive, brother-bound uncle, Vela simply continued her "naive act." Holstering her pistol, she pressed her earpiece and ordered: "Bring in field survival supplies. Place them at the entrance of the underground sanctuary. Yes—for ancestral rites and vigil."

"Königsberg parade? Understood. No delay, proceed as planned."

With her work arranged, Vela placed a hand on her hip, smiling with curiosity.

"Uncle, I have many questions I wish to consult you on. The setting is humble, but tonight, let us converse at length here. What do you say?"

...

Area 11, Tokyo Settlement.

Within a detached dormitory villa of Ashford Academy.

The room was in disarray. Bottles and jars labeled painkillers and antibiotics cluttered the desk and cabinets. A pungent mix of blood and disinfectant hung in the air. Dim light seeped through half-closed windows, falling upon a green-haired, golden-eyed girl of striking beauty.

"Lelouch, I told you before—curb your pride and impatience."

Seated on the floor, leaning against the sofa cushions, the green-haired girl spoke irritably: "Cornelia is not like Clovis the artist-governor. She knows war."

"Cough, cough, cough… cough. Thank you, C.C."

A weak, coughing voice: "If not for you, I would already be dead—killed by Cornelia's cybernetic special forces."

"Correction. Strictly speaking, they are not Cornelia's. They belong to Euro Britannia's exchange forces…"

Chapter 265: Please Punish Sheele Harshly~

Inside the Deep End's prison.

Elias was comforting the still-disheartened Sheele, holding the girl close and gently patting her back.

At the same time, he cast a reproachful look at the surveillance camera, thinking that certain people had gone way too far earlier, using such high-pressure psychological tactics to scare her.

"I'm sorry, Elias. It's all because of me that your reputation was damaged. If only I weren't a Herrscher…"

"Sheele, don't say that. It's not as exaggerated as Mei and the others made it sound. Besides, reputation doesn't matter to me. I don't care what others think. So please, smile for me, okay? You've been frowning for so long, my dear Sheele."

Elias patted her head. Sure, raising prestige and being admired felt good, but…

Things that didn't affect his actual strength weren't worth much to him. Elias never hoped for the whole world to like him. What truly mattered to him had always been the few people by his side.

At the very least, compared to the girl named Sheele before him, prestige didn't seem important at all.

Besides, among those he loved were Herrschers—and Elias himself was a Herrscher too. He had long since been prepared for the possibility of standing against the world.

"Elias, you big idiot… I'm not worth all this!"

Sheele was overwhelmed with emotion. Because of Dr. Mei's words, she now faced her own heart head-on.

If it was for Elias, then forget the Honkai! Forget destroying the world! All Sheele wanted now was to stay with the boy before her forever.

The Herrscher girl wrapped her arms around the white-haired boy's neck, rubbing her face against his chest, then moved upward to rest her cheek on his shoulder.

Like a black cat that had finally been tamed, lowering its guard and showing its cute side to its master.

"Elias, why are you so good to me?"

Suddenly, Sheele asked nervously, confused.

Even she could see that Elias held an especially deep affection toward her. She wanted to know—what was it about her that made this angelic boy so partial to her?

No matter how she thought about it, Sheele couldn't find an answer. The more she thought, the more unworthy she felt.

"Well… the first reason was simply because, Sheele, you look a lot like someone very important to me."

Elias hesitated a moment before saying it.

He had been time-traveling in this Previous Era for a long while now. Thanks to the effect of the [Eternal Heart] trait, no matter how much time passed, he would forever remain that same boy, unchanged.

Especially in mindset—his heart would never age or wear down with time.

But even so, he often missed the women of the Current Era—such as a certain twin girl.

Because of the stigmata, Sheele and Seele were deeply connected.

Elias had already investigated thoroughly through many means. He was certain that Sheele and Seele were alternate-timeline counterparts. From a certain perspective, they could even be considered the same person!

Though born into two different civilizations, if Sheele and Seele underwent DNA testing, the results might very well show identical bloodlines.

In fact, from the intel Elias had gathered, he discovered that before becoming the Herrscher of Death, Sheele's personality had been just as pure, kind, and angelic as White Seele's.

Considering the Herrscher of Finality's power over time—

The answer was already clear.

The Sheele of the Previous Era, and the Seele of the Current Era, were both versions of Seele born separately in the two civilizations due to Finality's reset of time, each walking down a different fate.

(It's hard to describe. In the Previous Era, after Sheele became a Herrscher, her gentle nature was blackened into what she is now. In the Current Era, Seele only developed her darker side after her stigmata awakened.)

It seemed like coincidence—but in truth, it was not.

The stigmata that appeared on Seele of the Current Era was created from the memories of Sheele, the Herrscher of Death of the Previous Era. On this, Elias—who also bore the Herrscher of Death's stigmata—could personally vouch.

So the Dark Seele of the Current Era wasn't born simply from absorbing White Seele's negative emotions.

Rather, she was the copied consciousness of the Previous Era's Herrscher of Death, Sheele, residing within the stigmata. However…

"Even though you two are identical in almost every way, you are ultimately just two flowers resembling each other to the extreme—still different, independent individuals. To me now, Sheele is Sheele. You are not anyone's substitute."

Elias pinched Sheele's cheek as he spoke. Even if nearly everything was the same, having walked different lives meant they were two different people.

It was like the Captain and the Ferryman in a game.

Still, Elias felt regret.

He hadn't managed to save the pre-Herrscher Sheele—the kind, friendly, tearful girl whose personality matched White Seele's. The Herrscher persona had completely erased her the moment it descended.

But that was only a regret for this time. Elias had countless opportunities to make up for it.

He decided that in the next cycle, he would adopt that girl directly—just as he had done for Seele in the Current Era.

In short, whether human consciousness or Herrscher persona, Elias would save them all!

He was already imagining the scene: if he could rescue both consciousnesses of the Previous Era Sheele and let them live together in the Current Era…

Elias: (Oh wow—Seele fanatic ecstasy! Four Seeles! No, this regret must be corrected no matter what!)

On the other side, Sheele thought to herself that it made sense why she was treated so specially—it was because she resembled someone important to Elias. She felt grateful, yet also a little downhearted.

"If it makes you happy, Elias, even if I must be that person's substitute, I would…"

"Stop! Enough!"

Elias knocked on the Herrscher girl's head to cut off her foolish thoughts, then kissed her on the forehead.

"I don't need you to do that, Sheele. Though that was the initial reason, now I treat you well because I truly like you. I want you to have a beautiful ending."

The more time Elias spent with Sheele, the more he felt she didn't deserve such a tragic fate. If that was her destiny, then he would crush it himself!

"Don't worry, Sheele. Though what we did this time wasn't perfect, next time I'll save the complete you. Just like with Himiko, I won't let a single life's burden fall on you."

Elias' words rang with conviction. He would erase the sins the Honkai had forced onto her.

…

At that moment, Sheele sat in stunned silence.

She didn't know what Elias intended, but she knew this white-haired boy was a man of his word—and that he truly could create miracles.

After becoming a Herrscher, Sheele had believed herself beyond saving. Yet now, hope stirred within her heart. Perhaps there really was a way for her sins to disappear.

"You've always been like this, Elias—forever chasing perfection we don't even dare to imagine. But because it's you, I feel I really might be saved."

Sheele's red eyes fixed on Elias, as if to carve his figure into her heart forever.

Silently, she vowed: no matter what happened, no matter how much time passed, even if one day she lost her body and became nothing more than an imprint, as long as her consciousness remained, she would never forget him.

Sheele closed her eyes and recalled her past.

Once, she had lost her true self to the Honkai. The consciousness now occupying her body was just a puppet created by the gods to slaughter humanity and destroy the world.

But now, even as a puppet, because of the white-haired boy before her, new humanity had been born within her. Given that…

She was willing to give everything she had in return.

The next second, Sheele's eyes opened wide. She pressed herself fully against Elias, her crimson gaze overflowing with love and obsession, tinged even with a yandere-like gleam.

"…Sheele, what are you trying to do?"

"Who knows~ After all, Sheele is such a troublesome bad girl. Today I even caused Elias trouble. So, Elias… please punish bad girl Sheele harshly."

Her scarlet eyes shone brilliantly, her aura in that instant like that of a mischievous little demon.

Sheele licked her lips, slipping off her gloves and unbuttoning her shirt. Her intentions were clear.

Elias swallowed hard, a flame igniting in his chest. With a flick of his hand, a wind blade shattered the surveillance camera, and he pulled the girl's waist into his arms.

"You're right. Bad children must be punished properly. So, Sheele, are you ready?"

"Mm. Ah—wait, I almost forgot this."

As if remembering something, Sheele pulled the black Soulium collar from Elias' pocket and fastened it around her own neck with practiced ease. Only then did she smile in satisfaction.

This collar, she no longer intended to take off.

"Shall I add a leash too?"

"You really are a bad girl, Sheele."

...

Inside the Deep End's monitoring room.

"Mei, cheer up. Your plan worked."

"Mobius, for the sake of your funding next month, I suggest you shut up! No one would mistake you for mute if you stopped talking. Damn it—I only said to win her over, not to let him take her all the way! Why, why is it like this?!"

Mei stared at the snow-filled monitor, gnawing on her fingernails in frustration, her composure shattered.

Though Vil-V's mechanical creations were top quality and the image was gone, the audio still worked. For a moment, all the women present found their breathing turn rough.

Their expressions grew complicated as they glanced at the indignant Mei, thinking: What do you mean, why? Isn't this unfolding exactly according to your plan, Dr. Mei~?

First, she had stormed in with Mobius and Sakura, piling immense pressure on Sheele to deepen her sense of guilt toward Elias, forcing her to face reality and resolve to turn away from the Honkai, choosing humanity for Elias' sake.

Then, before her emotions could recover, Elias had been pushed to her side—completely winning Sheele over.

"How strange. The plan was so clear, so thorough. If you're this capable, why haven't you managed to move up yourself, Mei? Could it be the old saying—strategists never enter the battlefield, only good at plotting for others?"

"Mo! Bi! Us! Looks like you really don't want your funding next month. I—"

Mei almost coughed up blood in rage. Just as she was about to unleash a fierce threat—

"Tch. My funding for the year's already been cut by you. I haven't even paid Klein's wages in half a year. At this point, what do I have to fear?"

The snake stood with arms akimbo, utterly fearless now that her funds were gone, and mocked without mercy.

"Still, who would've thought, Mei—you're actually only suited to being a wingman. Haha, how pathetic. What do you think? Want to be my strategist too, give me some schemes?"

Mobius taunted, eyes full of derision, as if looking at a beaten dog. She even considered exposing that time when Elysia impersonated Mei, just to see what face Mei would make then—it would be priceless.

Aside from Mobius, the others also looked at Mei with pitying eyes.

(At this rate, even if Prometheus—your creation—moved up, Mei herself might never rise. Who knew she had such loser traits?) xN

The group watched the snowy screen a while longer. But since it wasn't their turn this time, it was boring. They dispersed—if they kept listening, they might combust entirely.

...

Meanwhile, in the room next to Sheele's, someone else was losing her mind. For a single woman of advanced age, this blow was too much.

Himiko: "Arghhhh! What the hell is wrong with you two? Keep it down—no, wait! Can't you let me join too? Sheele! Elias! I can do it too!"

...

After that, Sheele received dozens of [Disciplines] from Aponia. Coupled with the restraining suit crafted by Vil-V, even if she were influenced by Herrscher urges, she could no longer hurt anyone.

Thus, after her three-month confinement ended, Sheele was released from the Deep End under Elias' lead.

To many, this seemed a dangerous move. But in truth, no one could control Elias.

And Sheele proved her stance through her actions—she began accompanying Elias on missions.

When the girl personally slew several Emperor-level Honkai Beasts, the people within the Fire Moth base couldn't help but look at her differently. Their views of her had changed. But in Sheele's own words…

Sheele: "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not helping you humans. I'm only doing this because Elias wanted me to."

Soldiers: "…Amazing! Lord Elias can even win over a Herrscher? Please, teach us your secrets!"

Elias: "Uh… heart for heart?"

But peaceful days did not last long.

Suddenly, one day, bizarre incidents of mass slumber began occurring all over the world. According to Fire Moth's investigations, all the victims had fallen asleep while using the internet.

And before anyone else could even grasp the seriousness of it, the great savior Elias had already made his judgment.

"The Eighth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Sentience—has descended!"

Chapter 571: Kisara-senpai’s Reward

Kisara Tendo glanced at her junior, who looked like she might float away at any moment, and chuckled silently. She wondered if she should pin Kotomi Izumi down again, just to keep her from drifting straight into the clouds.

"Though our match was short, very few people have ever pushed me to go all out. You gave me those daggers in Kyoto, and now you've given me an exhilarating duel. Kotomi, how would you like me to thank you?"

Kisara asked with a soft smile.

Kotomi froze for a moment, then sat up excitedly and asked, testing the waters:

"Do you mean… you're going to give me a reward?"

"Mhm! Of course!" Kisara nodded cheerfully.

"Anything at all?!"

Kotomi hurried to confirm again. She didn't even know what reward she wanted—she only knew her voice was trembling now, overflowing with excitement.

"O-of course."

Even Kisara was startled by her junior's sudden change in tone. Just what kind of reward was she thinking of?

Kotomi's eyes fell on Kisara—still in her kendo uniform, ponytail tied neatly. She swallowed hard. If she could say it without Kisara getting angry, if she could believe that no matter what she asked, her senpai would accept it, then she would pour out her heart:

Kisara-senpai, please don't shower yet. Put on thigh-high black stockings, and let me kiss your feet and lick your toes! Please, that would be the best reward for me right now!

Kotomi knew how strange this request sounded. But she just wanted to kiss her senpai's delicate feet, fresh from training.

If it were Megumi or Mashiro, she wouldn't have hesitated—they'd already be kissing by now.

But with Kisara… was their relationship even that close yet?

Sure, girls often did intimate things together and called it friendship. Especially in all-girls' schools, physical closeness was common. Even pranking each other with too much intimacy was often followed by laughter. Sharing a bed at night wasn't unusual either.

But Kotomi's request went way beyond any of that.

As a side note, it was lucky she hadn't gone to an all-girls' school. Otherwise, she would've been eaten alive for sure.

Not the wolf among sheep—but the lamb among wolves. After all, how could Kotomi, who thought of herself as the "attacker," ever really be the wolf?

She would've been a soft little lamb, perfect prey. Worse, she was a lamb who knew how to flirt.

Kotomi was fully aware of how strange her desired reward was.

She truly feared that if she spoke it aloud, Kisara would instantly draw the katana from the rack and unleash the kesa-giri she hadn't gotten to use fully in their duel.

"…I haven't thought of a reward yet. Let's just say, Kisara-senpai, that you owe me one."

After a moment's hesitation, Kotomi settled for this.

"Alright," Kisara agreed without a second thought.

She must think I meant a normal girl's kind of reward… That's why she accepted so quickly… Kotomi thought, feeling a pang of disappointment. The one reward she truly wanted could only be given by the person right in front of her. Yet it felt impossible to speak it aloud. And that feeling was awful.

Suddenly, she remembered she had once promised Aimi a reward after her entrance exams.

At the time, Aimi hadn't said what she wanted either—just that she'd think about it.

Now, slipping her current feelings into Aimi's place, Kotomi shivered. Could it be that Aimi also wanted some strange, outrageous request as her reward?

…Surely not?

Her dear little sister Aimi was so obedient, only ever caring about her older sister.

After resting on the wooden floor for a while, Kotomi followed Kisara Tendo into the locker room to shower and change. The girls' locker room had a bath area deeper inside, which Kotomi hadn't noticed before when she came here.

Looks like I really don't know the layout of the kendo club's locker room well enough. I should come check it out more often in the future, Kotomi joked to herself in her mind.

Of course, there was no large bath in here. Being the kendo club's bath area, it was just a set of efficient showers.

Stripped bare under the hot spray, Kotomi suddenly realized a problem: she hadn't brought any shampoo, body wash, or even a bath sponge!

Not surprising—she had never planned to bathe in the kendo club's locker room while at school.

"Kotomi, here," Kisara said. Having lathered shampoo into her own hair, she habitually squinted her eyes while bathing and handed the bottle to Kotomi.

"Thanks."

Kotomi didn't refuse. Though the duel had been short, it had drained an enormous amount of stamina.

She had only noticed while changing that her borrowed kendo uniform had been completely soaked through with sweat.

Kisara told her not to worry. The uniform Kotomi had worn was just a spare, usually kept in the club's wardrobe. It was occasionally washed, dried, and then stored away again.

The kendo club's locker room had a washing machine. After training, uniforms could be tossed in directly, and the machine would run through washing, spin-drying, and drying all in one go.

It only took about twenty minutes.

Kotomi hadn't trained in kendo since childhood. Aside from her monstrous reflexes, predictions, and the powerful techniques she'd picked up, her knowledge of kendo itself was nothing but that of a dabbler.

In terms of strength, she could fight Kisara Tendo—the Sword Demon, heir to a fully licensed school—to a near standstill. But in terms of understanding and insight, she probably knew less than a beginner who'd studied kendo seriously for just a few months.

Naturally, she had no idea how to properly control her stamina in training.

She relied entirely on her Queen of All Females physique, with its bottomless energy and overall buffs. When swinging her sword, she always used as much force as she could.

If Kisara hadn't been a Sword Demon, any ordinary opponent trying to block Kotomi's bamboo sword would have been sent flying by the sheer force behind it.

Her speed was the same—always as fast as possible.

After all, in a true clash, Kotomi knew she couldn't possibly match Kisara. Kisara's reflexes, built from a lifetime of kendo, were muscle memory. Kotomi could only rely on speed, trying to create openings.

But even when she found one, as when she used Gatotsu in midair instead of a downward slash, Kisara's hesitation was only a heartbeat. Almost instantly, she adapted—dropping her bamboo sword, bending back to evade, and countering with the sheathed dagger to pin Kotomi and claim victory.

This had been Kotomi's first real test of her kendo level. And it made her realize she was still lacking. She could probably place well in the Six Schools Tournament, but if her opponent was someone on Kisara's level… she might win, but it would be a bitter fight.

Worried about facing someone too strong, Kotomi began to consider maxing out her kendo level.

There had once been a girl who feared pain, so she maxed out her defense.

Kotomi also feared pain, also feared strong opponents. But she had no intention of maxing defense.

Mainly because her system panel didn't have a defense stat. If it did, she would've raised that to MAX before writing or drawing levels.

Just imagine—if she'd had massive defense back then, would she have ever feared Megumi stabbing her with that knife?

Since there was no defense stat, Kotomi wondered if she should just max her kendo level instead.

If she could cut down her opponent before they even made a move, then she'd never need to worry about being hurt!

Laying out this logic, Kotomi couldn't help but feel like a genius.

"Kisara-senpai."

"Mm?"

Kisara Tendo was rinsing the shampoo foam from her hair under the hot spray when she heard Kotomi calling her. She leaned closer—between the sound of the two showers, it was hard to hear otherwise.

"In the Six Schools Tournament… will there be opponents stronger than you?"

"If I were to fight through every match for Sobu High in the tournament, as long as I don't run into a few particular people, I should be able to cut my way straight through to the championship." After rinsing the foam from her hair, Kisara splashed water onto her face as well.

"A few particular people?"

The Seven Warlords of the Sword World?

"Mm. Only a few could actually threaten me."

"Ohh, I see."

Kisara heard the tension in Kotomi's tone when she spoke of opponents. It seemed that even though their duel had been short, Kotomi had understood one thing—talent alone wasn't enough to take an opponent lightly.

Kisara felt relieved. She had worried Kotomi might grow arrogant because of her gift and underestimate others.

Even a lion hunts a rabbit with full strength. How much more so when facing opponents worthy of the Six Schools Tournament?

Seeing her junior asking so cautiously about her rivals, Kisara couldn't help but smile. She reached out, ruffling Kotomi's hair gently as she said with a laugh:

"You don't need to worry about facing opponents who are too strong. The officials always make special notes about them and do their best to arrange matches between opponents of roughly equal strength."

Seeing Kotomi's pensive look, Kisara assumed she was thinking about the matches to come and didn't disturb her further. Her heart filled with relief and pride.

She hadn't expected her nominal captain—who had barely shown up to the kendo club before—to start caring about kendo after just one duel, even preparing herself for the Six Schools Tournament.

Kisara couldn't wait to see what kind of results Kotomi would achieve.

Her family head, her father, would also be watching the tournament as a guest in the audience. For some reason, Kisara especially wanted her parents to see Kotomi's swordsmanship.

It felt like she wanted them to recognize her.

But Kotomi wasn't thinking about the tournament at all. Instead, she was imagining—what kind of stance should she use when drawing or sheathing her blade to look the coolest?

Maybe she should walk on stage holding her bamboo sword in one hand and a speaker in the other?

Which songs should she set as BGM for her entrance, for the match, and after her victory? She already had them planned.

Since she was entering a kendo tournament, her coolness had to be maxed out!

Maybe she should get a new hairstyle beforehand?

A white-haired beauty wielding a bamboo sword, every strike like a graceful dance, elegant yet fierce, ending the match in style. Under countless gazes, she would rest her bamboo sword on her shoulder. If she had a scabbard, she'd spin the blade into a dazzling flourish and sheath it, then walk off the stage with a wicked smile.

And then—pick a lucky girl in the crowd and send her a wink. Or maybe… a blown kiss.

The cheers and screams would be deafening!

"Ehehe, ehehehehehehe…"

Just picturing herself dominating the tournament stage, bathed in the admiration of countless girls, Kotomi couldn't hold back her gleeful giggles.

Kisara stared at her junior in bewilderment. Why was this girl suddenly laughing so strangely? Was it battle spirit welling up?

So hot-blooded!

So fired up!

If Megumi Kato knew what Kotomi was daydreaming, she'd probably be furious enough to spank her little Kotomi's butt.

After finishing with the shampoo, Kotomi shyly borrowed Kisara's body wash and bath sponge too.

Holding the bath sponge Kisara Tendo had just used, Kotomi's small hands trembled as her mind filled with orange-and-pink tinted fantasies.

She instantly wanted to buy another treasure chest and store this sponge inside it, enshrining it like a second holy relic.

While using Kisara's bath sponge, Kotomi was entirely focused and reverent.

...

After showering and changing, Kotomi stayed behind to help Kisara clean the dojo.

At first glance, the dojo looked huge, and just the main hall alone seemed like it would take forever to clean. But in practice, since only the two of them had used it, the cleaning wasn't difficult. In less than ten minutes, it was spotless.

"Whew~ Thanks for your help, Kotomi. I'm used to cleaning the dojo by myself, but it always takes a while alone. Without you, I probably would've had to skip second period again," Kisara said gratefully, stretching as they left the dojo.

"Kisara-senpai, aren't you just using cleaning the dojo as an excuse to skip another class?" Kotomi teased with a sly smile.

"You're not wrong." Kisara nodded, fully admitting it.

"If I were still in middle school, I'd probably skip class with you. But now I'm in high school, and I'm Sobu High's top student, Tokyo's number one. With great power comes great responsibility. Forgive me, senpai, but I can't keep skipping with you. Next period, I'll return to class and study hard."

Kotomi also wanted to skip another class, but she thought better of it. As the top student in her grade, in Tokyo even, she should set an example and stay in the classroom.

More importantly, she had told Yui and Yukino that she was going to Hiratsuka-sensei's office to apply for after-school practice. No matter how slow that was, it wouldn't take two whole periods.

If she really skipped both, she could explain it to the teacher—but how would she explain it to Megumi?

Recalling the flash of that gleaming cleaver, Kotomi desperately wished she had impenetrable defenses.

Better get back to class!

"Listen to you! That makes it sound like I'm just a delinquent who skips class to practice kendo. I'll have you know, I still manage to place top ten in my class every exam." Kisara rubbed Kotomi's cheek, trying to maintain her senior's dignity.

Bidding farewell to Kisara at the stairs, Kotomi waited for the bell to ring and for the teacher to leave Class 1-F before slipping back inside.

If she returned while the teacher was still there, she'd surely be asked where she'd gone and why she'd been away so long.

Kotomi decided to just dump that problem on Hiratsuka-sensei.

Let Shizuka handle it!

Passing Yui and Yukino's desks, Kotomi flashed them an "OK" gesture. They understood at once—she'd successfully applied for after-school practice.

But sitting nearby, Megumi Kato frowned slightly. Earlier during homeroom break, Kotomi had left without a word, dragging Yui and Yukino with her. They had returned, but Kotomi had not. When Megumi asked Yui, she'd said Kotomi had gone to Hiratsuka-sensei's office.

And she'd been gone an entire period.

Though she knew their relationship was strictly teacher-student, the thought of Kotomi spending an entire class alone in the office with Hiratsuka Shizuka, not knowing what they had talked about or done, made Megumi's heart twist uncomfortably.

When Kotomi finally returned to her seat, she didn't ask Megumi to move. Instead, she lightly sat herself right on Megumi's lap, wrapped her arms around her neck, and pressed her cheek tightly against Megumi's.

Just like she had embraced Hiratsuka-sensei from behind in the office earlier.

Chapter 659: Surrender, the Black Templars’ Delight

War.

The most violent, most extreme, yet often the most effective way to resolve conflict. Though war rarely brings true resolution, and more often than not leads only to one's own ruin—

Still, war is convenient.

No words of persuasion can compare to the raw, searing lessons of lived suffering.

"Lord Mengsk, what office do you seek?"

A vague, platinum figure radiated brilliance, seated in Arcturus's former chair behind the polished, carved redwood desk. The broken windows and doors let in the mingled scents of charred stone, blood, smoke, and steel. Outside, in Augustgrad's Grand Pyramid Palace square, Korhal's soldiers rioted and panicked.

"Your Majesty decides all," came the trembling reply.

At the instant Selene's voice reached him, Valerian's head jerked up. His body trembled, every nerve saturated with dread.

His mind had yet to respond, but years of training as the Dominion's crown prince had engraved reflex into him. The words leapt from his lips.

With a father like Arcturus Mengsk—rebel hero, tyrant, and butcher—Valerian had endured countless examinations under his shadow. Selene's question felt almost familiar. And in such trials, sincerity was never the answer.

He knelt upon the silken carpet of imperial style. From the corner of his eye, a headless corpse intruded into view. The faint iron tang of blood told him plain: this was the Augustgrad Imperial Palace.

Valerian forced himself to meet the silver-haired woman's shimmering projection. He buried every flicker of excess emotion, dredged up all his lessons, and fixed his mind on visions of a future beyond the war—anything to avoid stray thoughts.

Moments ago, he had been on Umoja. Now, suddenly, he stood here—in his father's palace—where, only hours earlier, he had watched across light-years as Arcturus's head was severed.

Now, seeing her with his own eyes—

He realized those ornate murals carved by long-dead hands into alien ruins, their gaudy descriptions of the Xel'naga "creators," had not been exaggerated. If anything, they had been far too plain.

Unbothered, the silver-haired empress smiled faintly, propped her chin in one hand, and with the other lifted a glass of well-aged port from the desk. She sipped, closed her eyes, and in a tone utterly natural—utterly calm—she mused:

"Then what shall I give you? A colony world, to resettle? A license for trade fleets and pioneers? Or perhaps a governor's post, on some minor planet…"

She paused. Turned her head. Light and shadow rippled across her face, outlining a sharp smile.

"After the war, I shall grant you Tarsonis. You were quick enough, Valerian I, not to meddle under my nose."

With casual grace, she picked up a stack of papers from the desk—an official Dominion document, its script a mongrel of English and Russian forms. Its heading read: Tarsonis Reconstruction Plan.

Tarsonis.

Once, the Confederacy's heart.

When humanity first came to the Koprulu sector aboard four great colony ships, the lead vessel, Nagglfar, landed upon Tarsonis. It carried the supercomputer ATLAS. Though ATLAS suffered fatal malfunctions, its surviving technology still left Tarsonis far ahead of Moria or Umoja, where crash survivors had far less to salvage.

The fourth ship never landed at all. It crashed in descent, annihilating all aboard.

When contact was reestablished among the colonies, Tarsonis stood foremost, the most prosperous and advanced of them all.

At the Confederacy's height, vast wealth and resources poured daily from the colonies into Tarsonis. Its economy shone so bright that no other human world in the Koprulu sector could compare.

Until Arcturus Mengsk toppled the Confederacy with the Zerg invasion and established the Dominion on Korhal, Tarsonis had been the political heart of human power.

Yes—with the Zerg. He used them.

The cataclysm that killed at least two billion souls on Tarsonis was no accident, but part of Arcturus's design. He guided the swarm toward Tarsonis, using them to obliterate the Confederacy—just as the Confederacy had once annihilated Korhal with nuclear fire.

He concealed it well, telling no one.

Rumors had circulated, but they were dismissed as enemy slander, lacking evidence. Without Jim Raynor—the fated man who uncovered the truth and broadcast it through the Raiders—most Terrans would have continued to revere Arcturus.

Now Selene's secondary consciousness, tethered through the palace's data cores, had already rifled through the Dominion's archives, public and sealed alike. The truth lay bare. The file she held was one of Arcturus's projects: a Tarsonis Reconstruction Plan. It was meant to placate the refugees, a promise that Tarsonis would rise again, guided by the Dominion to greater glory.

"Of course, it is only temporary. Whether Tarsonis becomes a true holding of House Mengsk will depend on you."

Selene's tone was casual, decisive. "I will make you planetary governor. It will not be hereditary. If you can restore production, govern well, and aid the sector's governor, perhaps it will endure."

For the sector's governorship, Selene had already marked Korhal IV.

A little irony, a little malice—a tactical exchange of homes. Korhal for Tarsonis.

The mutual scorn between Korhalans and Tarsonians was infamous. A fitting punishment, and amusement besides.

"By your will," Valerian answered at once, without hesitation.

He knew what this meant. Selene was generous—with what was not hers. After the cataclysm, Tarsonis's survivors had scattered. The planet itself was sealed off, forbidden any resettlement, with only Dominion recovery teams combing the ruins for lost technology.

At present, Tarsonis might not even hold ten thousand souls, and Zerg remnants prowled its ruins. To rebuild would demand immense effort.

Selene cast him a sidelong glance, then drifted away from the desk. She had no interest in the other captives gathered here. Instead, she glided toward the wall-mounted wine cabinet.

To protect against assassination attempts, Arcturus had sealed his collection in a reflective glass case, guarded by impenetrable force fields. Anyone who knew the Mengsk family knew their taste for fine liquor.

Selene now claimed the treasure as her own, moving as though she had always lived here.

Hum— A faint ripple shimmered as her hand passed through the force field. She plucked out a bottle of ruby red, its glass gleaming like gemstone, and carried it to the wide viewport.

Beyond the window, leviathans of steel floated above Augustgrad, blotting out the sun.

"In this furnace of empire, House Mengsk will not be crushed. As for what form remains… that depends on you."

Released from paralysis, Valerian forced his aching body upright. He accepted the crystal goblet trembling in his hands and drained it in one motion.

Selene, idly examining the wine's hues through the crystal, did not turn as she spoke:

"The ceremony of surrender has begun. I grant you leave to select retainers, should they accept. Once stability is restored in the Dominion, you will be escorted to the Imperial capital. There, a vacancy for planetary governor will be made whole in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Afterward, you will take your post on Tarsonis."

"Now, let me see your ability."

"At once, Your Majesty." Valerian bowed deeply, retreating until he stood beyond the Grand Pyramid Palace doors. Panic welled as he wondered how to lead away the throngs of subordinates and allies kneeling in the halls and chambers.

Then—whoosh!

His vision blurred. Emptiness swallowed him. When his sight refocused, he stood outside the spire palace. Around him, shocked cries rose like waves—

"I didn't see wrong, did I? That's the corpse of that dog Arcturus! I'd know the bronze medal on that headless body even if it were ashes…"

"What the hell? Weren't we just in Umojan territory moments ago?"

The Raiders and Umojan Protectorate soldiers swayed unsteadily, still groggy, wincing at the deep ache wracking their bodies.

Even Rory Swann, usually brash and hot-tempered, muttered like a subdued cat, his booming voice lowered.

"Your Highness… you've returned… His Majesty is dead. Your unconditional surrender broadcast… what do we do now?"

These were Korhal's palace guards. Without exception, all turned their eyes to Valerian as their anchor.

When they heard the broadcast proclaiming Arcturus's death, they had stormed into the spire chamber to confirm it. Bloodstains lay beside the prism, and the shimmering illusion had crushed their will. No words or gestures had been needed—the phantom alone had broken them, grinding them into the floor beneath their own armor.

"Your Highness, did we truly surrender unconditionally?"

The guard captain lifted his rounded helmet, hesitation etched on his face. "Majesty…"

"It is enough. Your loyalty is enough."

It wasn't that they hadn't tried. But how could men prevail against foes who fielded Titans and stood with gods?

Valerian forced a thin smile. "The cost of resistance… no one can bear it."

"Xel'naga… who can say?" he murmured, adjusting his wrinkled uniform before clapping his hands lightly.

"Come. Cooperation is the only road to survival."

...

"...By order of Valerian Mengsk, heir to the Dominion, we hereby declare unconditional surrender to the Sacred Selene Empire, Third Legion Black Templars , 2nd Company Expeditionary Fleet—effective immediately!"

The end-of-war declaration spread at once, looping on every channel. The Black Templars' fleet halted its offensive in the same instant.

The world seemed suddenly clearer. Fine flakes drifted down from the skies—dust and ash, the remnants of explosions.

The Black Templars' occupation forces stood arrogantly across every square and defensive line.

Clatter!

The first Dominion marine approached a warrior in purple-gold power armor. He dropped his weapon, removed his helmet, and collapsed to his knees, head bowed.

Where one led, others followed. Soon the squares rang with the sound of weapons cast aside and armor discarded.

Emperor Arcturus I was dead. His heir, Valerian, had declared unconditional surrender. For Korhal's soldiers, who had sworn to fight to the end, it was a hammer blow. Morale shattered in an instant.

The high command had long sealed battle reports, convincing them that victory would mirror the first Defense of Korhal—that when the fleets of the sector returned, the enemy would be driven out, no matter how fierce.

But when the truth was unveiled, when collapse could no longer be hidden—even the officers lost faith. The rout was inevitable.

"Lay down your arms, bind yourselves, and kneel. Only then may death be stayed!"

"Arcturus is dead!"

"Your false emperor, Valerian I, has declared unconditional surrender!"

"All who resist shall be executed!"

Within the fortress walls, thunderous voices echoed, making every defender shudder.

Then came the stamp of countless boots, the roar of engines, the hiss of laser fire, and muffled cries.

Clatter! Thousands of auxilia and servitor troops, led by a handful of Astartes, poured into the ring-fortress of Augustgrad's palace. They swept through every Dominion position, inspecting defenses and flushing out stragglers.

Suddenly—BOOM! A colossal explosion erupted a hundred kilometers away. A pillar of fire lanced skyward, blooming like a sorcerer's flower, brilliant and fleeting, scattering into ash.

The murmurs began at once.

"Stand down. It's not our concern. The Dickens family bunker resisted. That was their stronghold. They're finished."

So the news spread—families who thought to negotiate terms from their bunkers were obliterated instead. Greed made fools of them. The Sacred Selene Empire had decreed a ninety-percent levy on noble fortunes, stripping their wealth and privileges. Some tried to haggle. The Empire's answer was annihilation.

"You are not nobles of Selene. Terran titles mean nothing to us."

Lances of energy speared from the clouds, leaving molten scars in the ground.

There were fools. But there were martyrs, too.

Thud, thud, thud! "Fools to the end!"

In a ruined citadel's underground shelter, the Black Templars' Centurion officer stepped over broken bodies. The fortress bore the scars of brutal assault, ferrosteel split and corpses strewn.

A thousand defenders had claimed to hold it. In truth, only six hundred fought—half the private armies of noble executives, half old loyalists of Arcturus's "Sons of Korhal."

For them, death was no excuse. At the Centurion's order, the last captives and wounded resisters were beheaded, blood pooling on the floor.

"Mark their names. Eradicate their lines."

The Black Templars were considered among the more restrained of the twenty Astartes Legions. But restraint was relative. Family of traitors were slaughtered as surely as the traitors themselves. In Selene's Empire, there was no mercy for kin.

Yet most of Korhal's defenders had already surrendered, walking out beneath white flags, hands raised.

Vrrrrm! Overhead, shadows swallowed the city. Plasma engines thundered as transports descended. Engineering crews deployed great teleport arrays. In moments, floods of auxilia and more Black Templars materialized into Augustgrad by the tens of thousands.

Channels filled with surrender orders, with contradictions from stubborn nobles and generals who still screamed to fight on. Valerian's decree played across personal comms. Images of surrender ceremonies from across Korhal crushed the last sparks of resistance.

Then the earth itself seemed to roar with a single cry:

"Long live the Empire!"

"For the Empress! For Selene!"

"Black Templars, we swear eternal loyalty! Death to the usurper!"

"All glory to Selene!"

...

It was the voices of Selene's warriors—shouts of triumph, the roar of another victory. From near and far, the chants rolled on, breaking the last fragments of Korhalan resolve. Even in the palace square of Augustgrad, the echoes crushed all thought of resistance.

"Hey, you're Ghosts?"

"What else?"

Nova Terra shrugged at the marine's half-jesting remark. Her youthful beauty stood out starkly in the temporary POW camp. She cracked open a can of beer, took a long pull, and replied:

"We're human too. Valerian I abdicated, so why should we fight to the death just because we're operatives? Hah… at least their treatment of prisoners isn't bad."

While other Korhal troops still hesitated, Nova and her Ghosts had been the first to step forward and surrender. In return, they were treated better than most.

"Boss? Aren't you afraid it's just a last meal before the execution?" one disarmed Ghost muttered.

"If they meant to kill us, why the trouble? Those giants carry themselves like nobles." Nova smiled faintly, gesturing toward the Black Templars lined up in flawless ranks.

In sheer presence, the Black Templars were among the most impressive Legions.

Titan-class war machines loomed nearby, steel titans flanking the formation. Thousands of warriors stood in ordered ranks, blades and spears glinting, while auxilia and servitor troops massed at their sides.

A crimson carpet ran between them. Centurion officers in ornate purple-gold armor stood shoulder to shoulder, helms tucked in the crook of their arms. The aquila sigils and medals on their breastplates gleamed, their silver hair carefully styled, violet eyes bright above noble features, carrying the melancholic charm of princes.

No wonder this Legion was beloved by women across the Empire.

Before them, bent and broken, Dominion generals laid down sidearms and ceremonial swords.

The scene was too grand to pass unrecorded.

Amid applause, robed scribes and court painters set up easels, capturing every detail in ink and brush. It was common across the Legions for artists, poets, and chroniclers to follow the armies—but in the Third Legion, under Leiva's leadership, it was cultivated into tradition.

Leiva prized discipline, order, and ceremony. Many of the Legion's first recruits had been noble sons, steeped in chivalric ideals. Under his command, their culture had fused into something unique: a blend of aristocracy, ritual, and martial brilliance.

Even their love of complex, multi-weapon tactics reflected it.

Only Hak Foo's 2nd Company was a little more reckless.

One officer shook his head. "A shame the Captain wasn't here for the ceremony."

Another coughed softly. "Well, the Captain's tastes… are different."

Chapter 589: I Am Megumin!

Not long after the petite girl sat down, a waiter came over.

"Would you like to order something?"

"No, I'll just sit here for a while."

The girl didn't order anything, casually dismissing the waiter with a single sentence.

Then she slumped forward onto the table, clutching her stomach with one hand. Soon, the pitiful gurgle of her stomach echoed in the air.

Naturally, her situation had already been noticed by Eriri and the others. Darkness, in particular, looked curiously at the girl lying on the table.

"Eriri, she's…"

Of course, Darkness recognized her. This was none other than Megumin, a Crimson Demon girl who, in her original life trajectory, would have been one of her adventurer party companions.

When Darkness had first learned about her life's "future events," she had wondered how she might react if she ever met those people in reality.

Over the past few months, she had encountered several individuals who were supposed to appear in her original future. But she had never deliberately sought them out, since they were just part of a vision of what might have been. To her, they carried no real emotional weight.

Her conclusion was simple: the future was just the future. It had nothing to do with who she was now. Ever since joining the chat group, her future was destined to change anyway. All she needed to do was live according to her own will. Whether or not she crossed paths with those people again would depend on fate.

Even so, now that she was face-to-face with a former would-be teammate, she couldn't help feeling a little curious.

"To think we'd meet her the very first time we came to the guild. Looks like fate is tying us together."

Naturally, Eriri also recognized Megumin. She had already planned that if they met, she would invite her into their party.

She hadn't expected Megumin to appear right beside them of her own accord.

And judging by her condition, she was clearly starving.

So Eriri extended an invitation.

"Hey, little one over there. Want to come and eat with us?"

Hearing Eriri's voice, Megumin instantly raised her head, revealing a delicate, flawless face. Her left eye was hidden under an eyepatch, leaving her features half-concealed.

For a moment, she was stunned by Eriri's beauty. But soon her gaze locked onto the food spread across the table.

"Are you… talking to me?" Megumin asked expectantly, swallowing hard.

"Of course. There's no one else here besides you."

Eriri nodded, smiling faintly.

With Eriri's confirmation, Megumin didn't hesitate. She immediately stood up and hurried over to their table.

Without a word, she grabbed a large piece of meat with bone still attached and devoured it like someone who hadn't eaten in days.

Watching her eat so ravenously, Darkness and the others were dumbfounded. Eriri, however, simply shook her head in amusement.

"Slow down. No need to rush. There's plenty of food here—you'll get your fill."

Hearing this, Megumin lifted her head, though her cheeks were stuffed full of food, making it impossible to speak.

Only after forcing the mouthful down did she beam at Eriri with heartfelt gratitude.

"Thank you for feeding me. Otherwise, I really would've starved!"

"No need to thank me. It's just a meal. Sit down and eat with us."

Their table was formed by joining two together, leaving plenty of space. Ilina and Lilian sat on either side of Eriri, while Darkness and Eris sat opposite.

Hearing Eriri's invitation, Megumin didn't hold back. She sat down right beside Darkness without a hint of hesitation.

"Thank you so much—you're really a good person!"

Megumin once again thanked Eriri before continuing to eat.

Eriri and the others didn't say much, simply watching her quietly.

Compared to her earlier ravenous devouring, Megumin was now eating with more composure. After all, the large hunk of meat she had just eaten had already dulled her hunger pangs, though she still wasn't full yet. What she wanted now was to eat as much as possible, ideally enough to last her for the next two days.

Unfortunately, her little stomach couldn't hold that much. Before long, she could eat no more, and could only gaze regretfully at the plates still piled with food.

Then an idea struck her—if she joined Eriri's party, wouldn't she never have to worry about food again?

And besides, she truly wanted to find a party to join. If she could, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

But first, she needed to know if Eriri and the others really were an adventurer party.

Acting on her thought, Megumin asked directly:

"Kind one, are you an adventurer party?"

"That's right. Why do you ask?"

Eriri nodded with interest, watching her closely.

At that, Megumin's eyes lit up. She stood, gripping her staff, and stepped into the empty space beside the table. With a dramatic laugh, she struck a pose.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph… This fated encounter is the choice of the world itself. I had long awaited meeting people such as you!"

She placed her right hand against her face, her crimson eye gleaming with red light. With a dramatic sweep of her cloak, she grabbed the brim of her hat and struck a full chuunibyou stance.

"I am Megumin! My profession is Archwizard, wielder of the ultimate attack magic—Explosion!"

"My power is so great, the world has deemed it taboo. Do you crave this forbidden might?"

Megumin fixed her gaze on Eriri, her heart pounding nervously, terrified she would be rejected.

"So, what you want is to join our party, right?"

Eriri smiled, not showing the slightest hint of ridicule at her chuunibyou performance.

Darkness and Eris also weren't surprised. They had already seen this exact behavior in their vision of the future, so seeing it in person now didn't faze them.

After all, seeing it in a vision or in reality made little difference.

Ilina and Lilian, however, reacted differently.

As an otaku, Ilina immediately recognized Megumin as a classic chuunibyou case. She smiled knowingly.

Lilian, still at the age where chuunibyou tendencies spark fascination, stared at Megumin with shining eyes. She thought Megumin's performance was incredibly cool, and even felt the urge to ask her to be her teacher.

Under Eriri's gaze, Megumin calmed down.

"Yes. Please let me join your party!"

She bowed deeply, her expression sincere.

She had only arrived in Axel not long ago, and though she had joined several adventurer parties during this time, her results had always been the same. As soon as she declared herself an Archwizard, most parties welcomed her without hesitation.

But then they discovered the truth—she was a hopeless Explosion magic fanatic, investing all her skill points into that single spell. She refused to use any other kind of magic.

Explosion was extremely mana-intensive. Most people who learned it couldn't even cast it once. Though it was the most powerful offensive spell available to humans, it was also regarded as a "useless" magic.

Megumin's magic power was indeed formidable, but she could still only manage a single Explosion before draining all her mana and stamina, collapsing into a burden for her team.

As a result, after finishing quests, her companions would always distance themselves from her. Now, no one was willing to let her join.

"I see…"

Eriri didn't give her an immediate answer. Instead, she acted as though she were considering it, all the while studying Megumin closely.

As time passed, Megumin grew increasingly uneasy.

If possible, Megumin truly hoped she could join Eriri's party.

Under her expectant gaze, Eriri finally nodded.

"Mm, I accept your application. Welcome to the team!"

"Yay!"

At Eriri's answer, Megumin jumped up excitedly.

"Alright then, since we're teammates now, let me introduce myself first."

Eriri gave a simple introduction—just her name, leaving out details about her adventurer registration or profession. After she finished, Darkness and Eris also briefly introduced themselves. Though not in detail, it was enough for Megumin to remember everyone's names.

Afterward, Lilian eagerly struck up a conversation with Megumin.

"Megumin, why are you wearing an eyepatch? Is your eye injured? Do you want me to heal it?"

Lilian's awakened ability was Light, which allowed her to both attack and heal. With her current power, she couldn't quite regrow limbs, but most physical injuries were easy for her to cure.

"Hmph! This is a magical tool that suppresses my overwhelming power. Should I ever remove it, a great calamity would befall this world…"

"Wow, Megumin, you're amazing!"

Seeing Lilian's sparkling eyes, Megumin turned her head away awkwardly.

"Ahem… I was only joking. It's just an ordinary eyepatch. I wear it because it looks cool, that's all…"

It seemed Megumin still had some conscience—she couldn't bring herself to deceive someone as pure-hearted as Lilian.

But Lilian simply nodded, unfazed.

"Mm-hmm, I know."

"Huh? You know? Then why did you say I'm amazing…"

Megumin was dumbfounded, unable to understand Lilian's thinking.

"Of course! Your backstory is really cool. I think it's awesome. Should I make one up for myself too?" Lilian asked innocently.

"Uh… I don't think you should…"

Megumin was at a loss. She had thought Lilian actually believed her first explanation, which was why she had hurried to clarify. But in the end, she realized the real fool was herself.

Eriri and the others didn't interrupt the two girls' chatter. They just watched with gentle smiles, like adults watching children play.

Before long, ten minutes passed, and the group finished their lunch. During that short time, Megumin and Lilian had already grown closer. Of course, Megumin also chatted with the others—Eriri already had a favorable impression of her, and Darkness and Eris felt much the same. Even Ilina, after talking with her, liked her lively personality. As for Lilian, she was naturally delighted.

Altogether, Megumin smoothly integrated into the party.

She also learned that Eriri, Ilina, and Lilian had only registered as adventurers that very day, and their party was newly formed. When she saw the parameters displayed on their registration cards, she was just as shocked as Luna had been earlier.

...

The group didn't linger long in the Adventurers Guild. Shortly after lunch, they left. Before heading out, however, Eriri casually picked up a monster subjugation quest from the counter. Though such quests were trivial for them, experiencing the adventurer process properly meant taking on a commission.

They weren't looking for powerful foes—just the experience.

"Eriri, since you're an Archwizard, do you like Explosion Magic?"

On the way outside the city, Megumin asked curiously.

"Explosion Magic? Yes, I like it quite a lot."

Hearing her answer, Megumin's face lit up with joy. She already admired Eriri for treating her to food and being so beautiful, and now knowing Eriri liked Explosion Magic too only deepened her fondness.

"Kuku, then soon I'll show you the splendor of my Explosion Magic!"

She could hardly wait to show off her skills in front of Eriri.

Chapter 344: Go, Bring Me Some Chefs to Cook!

Shua—

Inside the administrative center—

Setsuna projected a starmap before him, studying the nearby worlds they had yet to contact.

Some had been discovered the last time he expanded the map, but were left aside due to higher difficulty.

[Shokugeki no Soma]

[Neon Genesis Evangelion]

[Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World]

[Darling in the Franxx]

Adding in the two worlds already marked—Konosuba and Madoka Magica—

There were six untouched worlds left in total.

As for the Honkai world, strictly speaking, it was only partially explored.

The Saga of the Shattered Swords era had been handled, but both the Previous Era and Current Era still needed attention.

"Oh…"

"So this is your authority? Exploring other universes? The place we came from is really close, huh?"

Fu Hua leaned in with curiosity.

"Of course. We were neighbors right from the start."

Setsuna smiled as he answered.

Griseo sat quietly to one side, still holding her brush, sketching colors onto her canvas.

Every so often she turned her head, listening to Setsuna describe those strange worlds.

Meanwhile, the shipgirls and other companions were brimming with excitement, itching for action.

They awaited the Commander's decision on which world to conquer next—and who he would bring along.

"Hmm…"

Setsuna looked over the group.

"Alright, let's start with something easy."

"The Shokugeki no Soma world. Who wants to head over? Bring me back some chefs, and while you're at it, subjugate the world."

"This one's simple, so I won't go in person."

The Shokugeki world wasn't much different from an ordinary human society, with technology at about the pre-space era level.

As a gourmet battle series, its story centered on Totsuki Academy, an island nation's culinary school.

Its culinary arts stood among the best in the world, with brutal graduation standards. The director called it "99% are stepping stones to temper the 1%."

Anyone who graduated from Totsuki instantly became a world-famous chef.

The chefs there often cooked with full-blown special effects—dishes that made people's clothes burst off or flushed them bright red. The seasoning was wildly over the top.

Flashy, yes.

And the girls there were of decent quality too.

But Setsuna didn't feel the need to go personally. He could just send a team, bring the chefs over, and then turn that world into a vassal.

Like the Nekopara and Girls und Panzer worlds before.

The remaining ones, with gods involved, would need his personal touch.

"A cooking world?"

Belfast and Yat Sen tilted their heads.

"Commander, do you think our cooking isn't good enough?"

"No, no."

Setsuna pulled the head maid into his arms, straightening her silver hair.

"Your cooking is wonderful. But it would be good to experience the skills of chefs from another world."

"After all, that's their craft—they've been trained in cooking since childhood, with all sorts of unique techniques."

"You'll get to taste their work too."

"…"

The shipgirls and maids who usually cooked for the Commander suddenly burned with competitive spirit.

"I heard that at Totsuki Academy, food duels can decide anything?"

One shipgirl in a maid uniform, with bluish-gray hair and cat-ear accessories, raised her hand.

"Mhm."

Setsuna nodded.

"Over there, they uphold the principle of strength above all. At the academy, any matter can be decided by shokugeki—a culinary duel."

"Commander, send me! I'll conquer them with my cooking!"

Cheshire leapt into Setsuna's arms with enthusiasm, rubbing her cat-eared head against him.

The other Royal Maids all nodded firmly.

"As the Commander's maids, we will not lose to anyone in any field—even in cooking."

"Send us, Commander."

"???"

"Are you sure?"

To be fair, Setsuna never doubted the professionalism of the Royal Maid Corps.

They could perfectly take care of his daily needs—laundry, cooking, assisting with work, teaching little shipgirls, even sharing his bed.

The only thing… Setsuna had zero faith in Royal Navy cooking.

As for Royal cuisine, shipgirls from the Dragon Empery, Iris Libre, and Sardegna Empire all used the same word to describe it:

—Humor.

When the Ahoge King was starving, she would rather ask for instant noodles than trouble a Royal shipgirl for food.

"Trust me, darling I'll definitely finish the mission"

Cheshire puffed her cheeks and looked up at him, pleading.

Her enormous assets pressed into Setsuna's chest, leaving him a little short of breath.

"Let us go, Commander. This is about proving the honor of Royal cuisine—and the Royal Maids."

Even Neptune squeezed in to voice her support.

"Aren't you just a cosplayer?"

Setsuna glanced at the fired-up Royal Maids, biting back his doubts.

He honestly didn't think Royal cuisine had any honor worth defending.

If Dragon Empery or Iris Libre shipgirls went up against Totsuki's students, maybe it would be a fair fight.

But Royals? Hard to tell if they'd impress—or embarrass themselves.

After thinking it over—

That world posed no real threat. Since the shipgirls wanted to have fun, he might as well let them. It would be good training.

"Fine, but you must complete the mission."

Setsuna gave a few reminders.

"Bring me the ones I want. If there's any problem, contact me."

"Understood!"

Cheshire tapped open a list on the holographic interface.

"Erina Nakiri, Alice Nakiri, Hisako Arato, Momo Akanegakubo, Megumi Tadokoro… Not a single one will be missing, darling, don't worry!"

As Commander, most of the time all he had to do was give the order.

The details of execution were left to his subordinates. He only needed to care about results.

...

A few hours later—

[Spacetime Channel Constructed]

[Constantinople → Shokugeki no Soma]

With a spatial distortion—

A silver-white starship led the way.

More than a dozen vessels broke through the clouds, appearing above the Shokugeki world.

At the front was none other than the Royal Head Maid, Belfast.

Behind her followed Cheshire, Hermione, Sheffield, Sirius, Dido, and the rest of the Royal Maids.

Also tagging along for some reason were the ojou-sama Neptune, plus Aurora, Unicorn, and other support units.

Shua—

Belfast activated the scanning device, quickly locking onto a massive school below.

Its grounds were enormous, practically the size of a small city, complete with a resort area.

Students in uniforms bustled about.

Some of the buildings looked like research labs, but in fact housed bizarre culinary research clubs.

Inside, they worked on everything from regional cooking to hotpot to molecular gastronomy.

Sniff sniff—

Cheshire twitched her nose.

"I think I smell spices."

"This place is huge… but all we need to handle is this academy, right?"

Neptune twirled her hair as she asked:

"So, Belfast, how are we completing the objective?"

"It's rare for the Commander to leave a conquest mission entirely to us…"

"…"

The head maid paused, recalling how the Commander had handled worlds before.

"Split up. First squad, stay in orbit and follow standard procedure—deploy Angeloids and Sophons to contact this world's leaders."

"This universe must also be incorporated into the Empire's domain."

"Second squad, come with me. We're going to meet the chefs."

...

Totsuki Academy.

In a quiet, refined Japanese-style residence—

A girl in a chef's uniform, with golden hair cascading down and purple eyes, sat in the courtyard, looking down from above at two rows of kneeling chefs.

Her figure was stunning, her features beautiful, with an air of haughty elegance befitting a young lady.

"Erina-sama, please… taste."

One of the young chefs below presented a bowl of soup with both hands.

"Mm…"

Erina took a delicate sip.

She closed her eyes, savoring the flavor.

Below, the chefs stared nervously at the young girl.

Nakiri Erina.

A first-year high school student at Totsuki Academy, granddaughter of the director, and the tenth seat of the "Elite Ten Council."

She possessed the legendary God's Tongue—a genius palate capable of identifying the origin of salt while blindfolded.

From a young age, she had supervised famous restaurants, her words capable of determining the future of an establishment.

Thus, the quality of any dish rested solely on the judgment of the God's Tongue.

Among the gathered were chefs from culinary conglomerates and head chefs from restaurants afar—all traveling to Totsuki just to have their cooking judged by her.

"…"

After a moment of tasting—

She suddenly stood up.

Pa—!

She slapped the bowl directly into the chef's face.

"Awful! This soup is terrible!"

"The taste is like quietly meditating under a waterfall… only to be suddenly struck in the head by a falling gramophone."

"Gramophone?!"

The chefs looked on, confused.

"I deeply apologize, Erina-sama!"

The chef who had been struck rolled across the ground, ignoring the food dripping from his head, and quickly kowtowed.

Then came the next chef.

Erina took a sip, closed her eyes.

Pa—!

She slammed the bowl onto his head.

"Disgusting!!"

In just over ten minutes, some dishes were judged with nothing more than a lick of her tongue—and all were sentenced to death.

Every chef present had a bowl smashed onto their head without exception.

"Utterly revolting!"

"To dare bring such slop before me—ridiculous."

She stood, her tone dripping with disdain.

"Especially that oyster porridge at the end. Its taste was like bathing with a lowland gorilla."

"To present such a thing is an insult to my palate."

"!!!"

The chefs below trembled, unable to comprehend her bizarre metaphors.

"Go."

With a wave of her hand, her attendants ushered them out.

"Honestly…"

Erina brushed her hair aside, instructing the servants to clean up the mess.

She was just about to head inside when—

From the corner of her eye, she noticed something strange in the sky.

A black dot was rapidly approaching from the horizon.

It swelled in her vision.

Then, within seconds, a massive shadow pierced through the thick clouds above.

Emerging from the sea of clouds was a massive silver-white space cruiser.

Its curves were sleek and elegant—if not for the rows of turrets and missile launchers lining its sides and underside, it could have been mistaken for a work of art.

"What… is that?"

Erina rubbed her eyes, thinking it a hallucination.

"Strange… was it someone undercooking mushrooms? Or using poisonous fungi? Did I miss it? Impossible!"

She patted her face.

The illusion did not fade.

Then—

A small shuttle descended from above.

The head maid landed gracefully in front of her, eyes calmly appraising her.

Erina had always been confident in her own looks. But facing Belfast, she felt an inexplicable pressure.

Elegant, poised, composed.

The shipgirl's flawless features and flowing silver hair left her dazed for a moment.

"Ah, greetings, Erina Nakiri. The Commander often mentions you."

"You certainly look the part of a proper young lady, don't you?"

The head maid smiled warmly at her.

"Ah? May I ask who you are?…"

Erina was startled.

Her eyes flicked between the maids behind Belfast, and the starships drifting in and out of the clouds above.

"We come from another world, here to bring this universe into the Commander's rule and the Empire's domain."

"But don't worry—we mean you no harm."

Belfast extended her hand, still smiling:

"Your culinary skills deserve a greater stage. This small academy cannot contain your talent."

"The Commander admires your ability. Come with us, won't you?"

...

A few minutes later—

At the Nakiri estate.

Erina sat dumbfounded as the shipgirls explained the Starsea Empire and otherworldly civilizations to her.

She had only ever been a chef.

Now, after receiving this torrent of information, her head was spinning.

"You… want to bring all of Totsuki under the Starsea Empire's rule?"

"This… this is ridiculous…"

She rubbed her temples.

All her life, aside from essential academics and etiquette, she had been immersed in cooking.

Now suddenly, aliens with starships appeared—it was beyond her comprehension.

"Not exactly."

Dido corrected her.

"It's the entire world and universe—including this country and the United Nations."

"From now on, everyone will follow the Commander's will."

"???"

Erina's pupils trembled.

"It must be that mushroom soup the chef made earlier. I'm hallucinating."

"Hisako… write that chef's name down…"

She muttered as she massaged her forehead.

"No, no, Lady Erina. Please accept reality."

The head maid was already used to the reactions of natives.

She patiently waited at her side until Erina calmed down a little.

"We plan to visit Totsuki's headmaster next, and then other chefs the Commander is interested in."

"Come aboard—I'll explain everything slowly. It would be rude to keep the Commander waiting."

Belfast gestured invitingly.

Almost without thinking, Erina followed her onto the ship.

Interstellar empire, starships, Angeloids…

The Royal Maids proudly introduced it all.

Like every native witnessing a galactic civilization for the first time, she was overwhelmed by its sheer might.

"In the Starsea Empire, your talents can shine brighter."

The head maid coaxed gently.

"We can provide better ingredients, advanced equipment, and a stage greater than Totsuki Academy…"

"…"

Bombarded with so much information, Erina's mind simply froze.

She couldn't respond.

After a long pause, she finally managed to whisper:

"Sorry… let me… think about it."

"No problem, no rush. We'll meet the others in the meantime."

Belfast waved.

The starship rose and headed off.

"Next target—Momo Akanegakubo? A pastry chef? Perfect…"

She glanced at the Sophon data.

"The Royal Fleet would benefit greatly from her skills. Let's go have a chat."

...

A few days later—

In the capital city.

After sending off the Royal Maid expeditionary team, Setsuna returned to his usual duties.

Training the new MANTIS with Fu Hua, converting more Honkai Beasts to feed Chiyou, and playing at his "Honkai Beast raising program."

He also considered which world to conquer next—once his skill cooldown ended, he could depart.

"Hmm, Belfast and the others have been gone six or seven days now. Should be fine, right?"

At the administrative center, Formidable suddenly voiced her concern.

As a fellow Royal shipgirl, she was worried about the head maid.

"Relax. The Shokugeki world has no supernatural powers. Humanity's strongest weapon there is nuclear bombs, and they can't even scratch a starship's paint."

"What danger could there be?"

Setsuna was confident. Belfast was always meticulous, and the shipgirls dispatched held overwhelming superiority. There was no reason anything could go wrong.

Still… it was taking a bit longer than expected.

Zzz—Zzz—

Suddenly, the head maid's transmission came through.

"Commander, the conquest of the Shokugeki world is nearly complete. Most nations surrendered without resistance."

"But there was a minor complication at Totsuki Academy."

"Oh?"

Setsuna raised a brow.

"Don't tell me they have superhumans trying to fistfight starships?"

"No. Totsuki is already under our control. We're selecting personnel for return."

Belfast shook her head.

"But Rindo Kobayashi, Alice Nakiri, Momo Akanegakubo, Nene Kinokuni, and others made a request. They wish to witness the culinary achievements of interstellar civilization."

"They'd like to test themselves against us in a cook-off—a 'shokugeki,' as they call it."

"…"

"What a peculiar wish."

The shipgirls glanced at one another.

Recruits from other worlds had all come with unique desires—some wanted to save someone across time, others simply sought strength, still others craved advanced technology or magic.

But this was the first time anyone asked for a cooking exchange.

Still, considering they were chefs, it made sense.

"Interesting."

Setsuna chuckled.

"Approved."

"Do we have any good chefs here? Magic cooks would do. Prepare something to amaze them."

Chapter 343: Venti vs Zhongli – Creation’s Eve, the Ultimate Struggle

Boom—

Two forces, each approaching the mass of fourfold single-universe, collided in an instant.

The speed of their clash was too great. Light speed? Under such power, even light itself seemed frozen.

Outside the arena, the gods who acted as witnesses were utterly entranced.

In their eyes, the battlefield—already at least ten times larger than a great universe—shifted its colors in an instant. Dark-golden and teal-green cosmic forces split the entire arena into two halves.

Where the two powers met, they annihilated each other. Countless cosmic laws were ground into fragments.

It was unmistakably the prelude to creation, the very eve before a cosmic singularity.

Focalors' expression was solemn, her gaze locked on the collision of those utterly different cosmic powers. "Nearly fourfold single-universe… Morax and Barbatos truly live up to their name as first-generation Archons. No matter the era, they remain unfathomable."

Yet she herself was not weak. Though born as a second-generation Archon, and with her true body once being Oceanid—placing her foundation and potential among the lowest of the Seven—

Ever since that time she and Lord Heavenly Principle had shared contact, her foundation had long been replenished, even surpassing Morax and Barbatos.

Neuvillette remained calm. "Whether Morax or Barbatos, their strengths differ very little. At this stage, we cannot tell who holds the advantage."

"I wonder—who will be my opponent?"

Charlotte, snapping back to herself, hurriedly transformed her authority into a camera to capture this awe-inspiring battle. But no matter what she tried, not a single image could be preserved. Finally, she could only sigh in frustration.

"Nothing remains—not even a trace. The battles of these lords are truly terrifying beyond imagination."

As the leader of Teyvat's greatest news community, the Steambird, she herself had just entered Supreme God rank.

She had been so excited by the Solar Sovereignty War that she could not sleep, yet to think such battles could not even be recorded!

Navia comforted her: "Don't be upset, Charlotte. After all, this is the highest, most unparalleled Gift Game. Perhaps never before, and never again."

"To leave an image of it would probably require at least Almighty God level."

Charlotte slumped in disappointment. "You're right…" If she, as the God of News, could have recorded this, her essence would surely have soared—perhaps even breaking through to Primordial God.

...

Childe stared wide-eyed, unable to even see their figures, only the swelling of boundless cosmic energies across the battlefield.

"Your Majesty! Has the fight already begun? But I can't see a thing! What's happening? It's driving me crazy!"

Tsaritsa cast him a calm glance. As Childe fidgeted impatiently, almost ready to rush forward, she casually flicked him aside with divine might.

"The fight has not yet begun. This is only the clash of divine auras."

"Being Almighty God, even their mere divine pressure is enough to reveal who is stronger."

"Though there are differences among us leaders of divine collectives, those differences are not vast. Even the weakest—Odin, the Norse God-King—possesses the mass of two universes, and with the Pseudo Star Map, three."

"By now, all leaders of divine collectives have stepped into strong single-universe."

"Watch closely. The battles of divine collective leaders—the collision of universal total mass—will benefit you endlessly."

"Of course, the divine nature of leaders has already reached the ultimate. Only Supreme Gods can endure it. Thus, only Supreme Gods and above may serve as witnesses."

Arlecchino bowed her head. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the explanation."

Childe rubbed the large bump forming on his forehead from striking the unyielding ground. "So that's how it is…"

Hiss— Even the stones of this divine realm below Celestia were so hard they had given him, with a head tough enough to smash into black holes unscathed, a massive lump.

...

"It's beyond words—too exaggerated to even describe… If not for the barrier of the battlefield, a mere wisp of the aftershock would have reduced all of us, save Her Excellency the Lesser Lord Kusanali, to ash."

Kaveh exclaimed in shock.

Alhaitham sighed, utterly exasperated. "Ah… what foolishness, so blind to one's own limits."

Kaveh instantly glared at Alhaitham. "What did you say? Alhaitham! You want to start another argument, don't you!"

Alhaitham replied calmly, "Can't you just be quiet? Why must you always behave like some circus clown, ridiculous and contemptible?"

Cyno spread his hands. "Here they go again."

Amun-Ra, the Egyptian Ennead's Sun God and God of Creation, shook his head. "Ridiculous… What's this about everyone except Her Excellency the Lesser Lord Kusanali being reduced to ash? I am a single-universe level Almighty God. I might not be able to win, but lasting ten exchanges is no problem."

Ever since becoming an Almighty God, he had sparred with Odin, managing more than ten rounds. Against other divine collective leaders, holding out for ten exchanges was within his reach…

Nahida looked at Kaveh with displeasure. "Kaveh, I've told you already—address me as the God of Wisdom. The title of Lesser Lord Kusanali is abolished."

When she had been small, being called Lesser Lord Kusanali had been fine. But now, with a stature no different from the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, such a name was clearly inappropriate.

"Ahhh—"

A sudden burst of divine might swept from Nahida, knocking Kaveh straight from the sky. His panicked scream echoed out, like that of a helpless little girl.

...

Just then, the battlefield filled with dark-golden and teal-green cosmic forces suddenly cleared. The two colors of power vanished without a trace.

But when they looked up, the skies—spanning the range of ten great universes—were filled with golden, ochre, and earthy-yellow radiance. It was the glow of thousands upon thousands of stone spears.

Each spear carried within it a fragment of the mass of a great universe. Together, the mass of all these spears equaled the total of four great universes.

The combined weight of four universes plummeted toward the divine arena. In that moment, even the laws within the battlefield seemed to wither.

This was imprisonment wrought from the mass of four great universes.

Within this binding, even an ordinary Almighty God could not move a single step.

These stone spears were not massive—each only the size of a planet. Yet any one of them could pierce straight through a normal great universe with ease.

This sight choked off the voices of all the gods who had been gasping in awe.

The Overlord of the Vortex Osial felt his limbs turn icy cold. His entire body trembled, his terror so overwhelming he couldn't even move his eyes.

Gulp… Dead memories strike me again! Even though this isn't directed at me, I just want to flee—what should I do?

In the eyes of every god was reflected the Sovereign of Rock's stance in his full power.

...

Zhongli stood, his entire body radiating golden and earthen cosmic light. Arms crossed, his gaze cold, he looked down upon his opponent.

"World-Piercing Stone Spear—"

Rumble—

Behind him, the thousand stone spears condensed from the total mass of four universes rained down, suppressing Barbatos trapped within the imprisonment.

The heavens above the entire divine arena were now nothing but the apocalyptic hues of gold and ochre interwoven.

The power of imprisonment had already sealed the entire battlefield.

This imprisonment was the power of contracts—the primordial concept belonging to Morax himself.

Such primordial concepts were possessed only by Almighty Gods. It was the final form of divine authority. And now, Morax was the very source of the concept of Contracts.

If he chose to abandon his divine collective, to cast aside his Pseudo Star Map, and elevate the concept of Contracts into a Path, he could instantly become a Lord of Path, and by continuously broadening it, eventually raise his Law.

However, only a fool of a divine collective leader would ever give up their collective.

For a divine collective leader, simply advancing step by step guaranteed eventual ascension to super single-universe. The path of Law, however, was one of unknown destiny.

As things stood, all current Lawbearers had been directly ordained by Heavenly Principle, ascending straight from Almighty God to Lawbearer.

"Old man… to go all out right from the start. You truly hold me in high regard."

Venti glanced down at his hands. Dark-golden light, like chains, spread across his body, binding him completely.

This was not a mere imprisonment of the body. His very essence—his divine power, his spirit, everything—was sealed.

"With just this, even a group of Almighty Gods would be suppressed beneath these stone spears."

He looked at Morax, arms crossed, gaze sharp and commanding, majestic beyond compare.

Countless stone spears rained down upon him, their speed utterly transcending causality.

The closing distance of those spears, carrying the weight of four universes, was like a mortal facing the collapse of a mountain. Even without the imprisonment, a normal Almighty God could never escape.

"When we were younger, during the Archon War… wasn't this the same way you crushed other gods so effortlessly, old man?"

Behind Venti, his golden magic circle suddenly contracted, shaping itself into a divine bow of teal and gold interwoven.

This was the weaponization of the Pseudo Star Map.

Once perfected, a Pseudo Star Map could be wielded this way.

In truth, Teyvat's Pseudo Star Maps were themselves weapons that grew stronger alongside their wielder.

Now, the primordial universes corresponding to the Pseudo Star Map had already reached the mass of double single-universe—stepping into strong single-universe.

Thus, the Pseudo Star Map had also doubled in strength.

A stronger Pseudo Star Map made the wielder stronger. A stronger wielder strengthened the primal universes. Stronger universes, in turn, reinforced the Pseudo Star Map.

This formed a perfect cycle. A leader of a divine collective could not help but grow stronger.

"Just hurling stone spears won't work on me."

"And besides… Contracts cannot bind Freedom, nor can they restrain Hope."

Venti fully released his own primordial concepts. His fingers drew upon the string of the bow formed by his Pseudo Star Map, condensing an arrow of wind, freedom, and hope. He pulled it taut and loosed it straight toward Morax.

Boom—

The combined force of four-universe mass gathered into one, the arrow shooting forth. Wherever it passed, the world itself began to spin.

The winds had formed a vortex vast enough to envelop an entire great universe.

Stone spears, falling straight down, collided with the vortex and were diverted, forced aside by the pull of wind.

Rumble—

Each spear that struck the divine land below shattered the ground, erupting in explosions so blinding that even an Almighty God's gaze would be wounded.

Each spear carried a fragment of cosmic mass. Each impact upon the divine ground triggered a Big Bang.

Within those explosions, in mere microseconds, all manner of primordial cosmic concepts were born—and then, as the blasts subsided, annihilated once more.

At the same time—

Venti's arrow had already reached Morax.

As the foremost warrior among the Seven, Morax could anticipate every possibility in battle. He had long foreseen that once Venti witnessed him unleash his full might, he too would respond in kind.

The instant he had unleashed the World-Piercing Stone Spears, his Pseudo Star Map had already condensed the shape of Vortex Vanquisher.

Of course, this was only its form—merely resembling the true Vortex Vanquisher.

Contracts, precious metals, wealth, commerce… all these primordial concepts gathered into the Vortex Vanquisher, thrust straight toward the arrow.

Hum—

The entire battlefield was engulfed in white light—this was the clash of two forces, each multiplied several times beyond the scale of a great universe.

All cosmic laws and energies were reduced to dust the instant they collided. The power released from the disintegration of laws was as exaggerated as matter undergoing nuclear fission.

Such aftershocks meant certain death or crippling injury for gods of unequal strength.

The white light came quickly and vanished just as fast, giving way the next moment to a radiance of golden hues.

"Order guide you."

From the high heavens above the battlefield, a massive cube-locked meteor, carrying the combined mass of four great universes, suddenly appeared—and fell straight toward the land.

To call it a meteor was only due to a lack of words to describe it.

It was colossal—so vast it spanned a tenth of a great universe.

According to cosmic law, such an immense object could never exist.

Only because this Supreme Divine Realm was the very heart of Teyvat could it appear here at all.

This monstrosity, bearing the weight of four great universes, was something even an equal-tier super god could not withstand.

And beyond its size and mass, it carried the origin will and domineering intent of its creator.

"I already told you, old man. Contracts—they can never bind Freedom and Hope."

Crack—

Even as the Heavenly Meteor bore down upon him, Venti, untouched by the World-Piercing Stone Spears, allowed the imprisoning chains to shatter. His body scattered into countless azure winds.

"The formless, shapeless wind—no bonds can restrain it."

Though the old man's power was overwhelming, Venti knew this was merely his "basic attack." It was far from a true ultimate move.

Boom—

After the brief blinding light faded, what remained was shattered fragments of land rolling across the battlefield.

When their vision cleared, they were stunned to find that the divine arena's ground had been utterly destroyed. Matter itself had been annihilated, leaving only void—without rule, without substance.

Two streaks—one dark-golden, the other teal-green—clashed again and again within the void.

Each collision gave birth to the concept of a Big Bang.

One instant's Big Bang had yet to fully expand before it was overwritten by the next.

In less than a microsecond, thousands upon thousands of cosmic singularity explosions erupted in the void.

Boom—

Morax thrust forward relentlessly with the Vortex Vanquisher, each strike aimed at Barbatos. Venti dodged frantically, loosing arrow after arrow from his bow.

It was the ultimate duel of spearman versus archer.

At their level, flashy skills and so-called "ultimate moves" were little more than child's play—useful only for overwhelming the weak.

To defeat an equal, only the most straightforward attacks mattered.

Barbatos' spirit and body were stretched to their very limits as he evaded Morax's assaults while still countering whenever possible.

He was never a god specialized in direct combat—far inferior in battle to Morax, the Warrior God.

But even so, though he lacked martial mastery, he still carried a hidden trump card that could grant him a narrow victory.

Chapter 83: Shogun, Did Yae Teach You That?!

[Not a bad performance… Shogun.]

Ei teased her between thoughts.

'Thank you for the praise.'

The Shogun replied.

[Where did you learn all that? Was it from Yae?]

Ei narrowed her eyes slightly, suspicious. Why did that fox always take advantage of her meditations in the Plane of Euthymia to teach her daughter such frivolous things?!

'Partly, perhaps… but most of it was simply my own ideas.'

The Shogun shook her head gently, explaining.

[Is that so… Still, next time, don't learn such things from Yae.]

'Why not?'

[I'm afraid she'll lead you astray.]

Ei's answer was immediate. She had worked so hard to instill proper discipline in the Shogun—she would not have it spoiled by that fox.

'I think… it's not so bad. Besides, don't you always want me to understand human ways?'

The Shogun answered, a little sheepishly.

[Sigh… silver-tongued.]

Ei exhaled, half-complaining in fondness. Hearing it, the Shogun allowed herself a small smile.

...

Meanwhile, Fiore stared, dazed, at the Shogun's full puppet form. It was the first time she had seen such a beautiful doll-like body. She thought the woman's allure had somehow grown even stronger.

"Shogun… are you alright? This form is…"

Of course, she would ask about her appearance. The Shogun sighed lightly.

"Do not concern yourself. This is my true form. Does it disturb you?"

She lowered her gaze to her mechanical body, concerned the girl might find it unsettling. At once, violet particles gathered about her. In a ripple of light, she reverted to her kimono-adorned form.

"N-no, not at all… it's… beautiful."

Fiore quickly shook her head, anxious not to be misunderstood. To her, seeing the Shogun's true self was a joy—a rare stroke of fortune.

"I see… then I accept your kindness."

She could tell the girl's words were sincere, not flattery. The Shogun did not care for empty compliments. But such honest admiration from this earnest young woman… she responded gently.

Still, being told her true body was "beautiful"… it was strangely embarrassing, as though someone had praised her bare skin directly.

"Let us go. We are very close to the goal."

Recalling Musou Isshin, she took Engulfing Lightning in hand and instructed her companions. Fiore and Caules nodded at once, falling obediently in step behind her. Deep in the hall lay a shadowed passage, surely leading to the heart of the fortress where the Greater Grail was kept.

Rumble rumble!!

The ground trembled suddenly. Cracks spread along the walls, fragments breaking loose. It was not the sky that shook, but the entire Aerial Garden.

With Assassin's death, her Noble Phantasm began to collapse. The massive fortress was breaking apart, pieces of stone plummeting away. But full destruction would take time. For now, this was the critical peak.

At the passage's end, a blinding light enveloped them. When their vision cleared, they stood in an immense, dim expanse.

A horizonless night stretched around them. Beneath their feet lay ancient stone tiles, suspended above a bottomless abyss. The tiles were not continuous, but broken, leaving yawning gaps that threatened to swallow the unwary. Below was endless darkness. For one afraid of heights, it would have been a nightmare. Around them stood shattered stone pillars, like the remains of some ancient battlefield.

At the far end rose a stone staircase, and upon its summit—the Greater Grail, stolen by the Red Faction. A colossal stone sphere, from whose cracked core emerged a golden female statue, its upper body with arms outstretched, as though to embrace the world.

"The Greater Grail…"

Fiore whispered solemnly. At last, they had arrived.

"Strange… why is no one here? Where are the others? Archer and the rest?"

Caules looked around warily. Not a soul was in sight.

Tap… tap…

From the far passage came footsteps. They turned instinctively—

Jeanne stood there.

"You have come as well?"

Jeanne first showed caution, but upon recognizing them, she relaxed and walked over.

"Miss Jeanne, where is Chiron?"

Fiore asked.

"Archer… has retired. He was defeated by Red's Rider."

Jeanne lowered her eyes slightly, her tone tinged with regret.

"!" ×2

The siblings were both startled.

"Then… what about Red's Rider?"

"She also retired, perishing together with Red's Archer. That woman had already lost her reason. If left unchecked, she would have caused disaster sooner or later. So Rider used his Noble Phantasm to fight her. In the end…"

It should have been Jeanne's battle, but Achilles had told her to go on ahead.

'Leave missy to me. As for Amakusa, leave him to you. His wish is a vile one. If humanity is to survive, do not let him succeed. Oh, and tell your Saber—about that kick—I'll return it next time we meet!'

That was what he had entrusted to her. Though a Red Servant, his reason still held sway.

"Then the only Servants left for Black are the Shogun and…? Rider?"

They had almost forgotten about him. Where had he gone?

"He… has also retired."

Jeanne shook her head again with regret.

"Eh?" ×2

Fiore and Caules froze. How had that man retired?

"The reason seems to be that his mana connection with his Master was severed. After suffering grave wounds without mana supply, he was forced to retire. By the time I arrived, he had already been burned alive by flames."

Jeanne's words carried complexity.

"In other words—"

Fiore seemed to understand.

"Yes… Sieg is gone."

Jeanne answered.

"..."

The Shogun said nothing. She would not reveal that it was Kapatcir who had accidentally killed him, nor that she herself had ordered the Thunderbird to destroy his corpse. That absurd truth would remain buried in darkness.

(And besides—she had long wished for his death.)

"By the way… Miss Jeanne, you don't seem that sad?"

Caules asked. Hadn't she always been protective of that homunculus?

"Sigh… I am Ruler. Though I once said he was innocent, that was in the past. From the moment he became Rider's Master, he was no longer uninvolved. For a Master to die in the Holy Grail War is entirely natural. I will not grieve for it. Moreover, I know what I must do. Now… the Grail matters more than anything. Please understand."

Jeanne pressed her hand to her chest as she spoke. At last, perhaps, the saintly maiden had uttered a fair and reasonable truth.

At that moment—

Clap clap!

Sudden applause rang in their ears. Red's Caster—Shakespeare—appeared before them, stroking his small beard with interest as his eyes fixed solely upon the Shogun. Yes, he looked at no one else. His gaze was meant only for her.

The Shogun noticed his naked stare, narrowing her eyes in irritation as she met his gaze. Her hand instinctively raised Engulfing Lightning before her, shielding Fiore and Caules behind her.

Crackle…

Arcs of lightning wrapped around her body, radiating dense Electro energy.

"If you dare take another step forward, do not blame me for showing no mercy."

Her cold, sharp voice was both warning and declaration of their difference in strength. It was advice not to court death.

"Wait, wait… hold on!"

As expected, Shakespeare flinched and took a step back, quickly waving his hands.

"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding… I came not to fight you today."

The Shogun narrowed her eyes.

"Then what is your intent? Do you mean to hand the Grail to us?"

It was half-mocking, but to her surprise, he nodded.

"Heh~! You've guessed it. I truly wish to give it to you."

Seeing her suspicion linger, Shakespeare sighed, rubbing his head.

"To be frank, I am but a writer. Writers care little for killing. What I seek are results, journeys, the desires of the heart, and the ideals of mankind! Not the vulgar clash of swords!"

He spread his arms as he spoke his nonsensical lines, then bowed before her.

"My name is William Shakespeare, a humble yet first-rate writer. Saber… no—child of destiny, I have long wished to meet you."

He straightened, studying her carefully, then nodded in satisfaction.

"As expected of the one chosen by fate. Perhaps only you can offer me the tragedy I so deeply crave!"

"Tragedy?"

The Shogun murmured in confusion.

"Indeed~! Today, I shall allow you passage to the Greater Grail. But in return, may we strike a bargain?"

"…Speak."

The Shogun replied without hesitation. She wanted to see what tricks he intended.

"Straightforward! It is simple: slay Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, prevent his plan, and let this story collapse into tragedy. That ending will suffice!"

He opened his book, scribbling something upon its pages.

"That would be Red's tragedy."

The Shogun reminded him.

"Of course! One's own tragedy is the finest essence, is it not? No, rather… hehe… Amakusa's plan was a tragedy from the very start. It is more interesting than anything I could write~!"

Tap… tap…

He stepped closer, lowering his voice, enunciating each word.

"So… at this very moment, I want you, Saber… to wield this 'pen' for me."

To him, watching the enemy fall into tragedy was not enough. Experiencing his own side's tragedy—that was how he could write something truly alive.

"Otherwise…"

The Shogun's lips curled into a cold smile as she opened her eyes to meet his.

"…Otherwise, do not blame me for stopping you here. Even I have the power to fight you!"

Shakespeare changed tone abruptly, raising his book to float in the air, its pages fluttering as his mind moved them.

"Heh, very well… but battling you is meaningless. I accept your terms."

The Shogun had no desire to follow his absurd logic, nor to understand it. The Grail was what mattered most, and time was running out. Since his proposal aided her, she would agree.

"Good… please, then~! Amakusa has yet to make his wish. You still have a chance."

He bowed deeply, extending a hand in a gesture of invitation.

"Fiore."

"Yes…"

"Come with me."

"Mm…"

The Shogun ignored him further, taking her Master and striding toward the staircase that led to the Greater Grail. This was the path they had agreed upon by contract.

"Sister…"

"I'll be fine, Caules. Don't worry."

Fiore turned back to reassure her brother.

"Saber… under no circumstances allow Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's plan to succeed. His wish is too vast, too twisted. He must be stopped."

Jeanne did not follow them in, instead entrusting the task to her. It was a gesture of trust.

The Shogun gave a nod, then led Fiore into the blinding golden light of the gate before them.

...

Just a little more… just a little more!

Ahead lay the end, the conclusion of everything.

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada gazed upon the otherworldly scene, vibrant as a fairy tale, his heart pounding with excitement and yearning. Each step he took brought him closer to the ideal he had long pursued.

To save all humanity. To save the world. To save every life.

[Amakusa, I have a question for you.]

In his memory, Red's Rider—Achilles—had once stood before him and asked.

'Ah, please go on.'

He had not minded then, patiently allowing him to speak. Perhaps he had already known what the next words would be.

[...Why do you want to save mankind?]

As expected. The question was asked, his tone grave, devoid of jest, so unlike his usual self.

'Because… I swore it.'

Amakusa answered.

[Regardless of race or nation?]

Another question, sharp and probing, as if seeking to choke his words.

'Of course.'

He dismissed the weight of it, answering simply.

[...]

Achilles fell silent for a moment, then asked again.

[When did you first have such a thought?]

There it was. The question he dreaded most, now asked aloud. Yet it did not hinder him from answering. The past was already past.

'Before my death, when the shogunate executed us.'

Click!

His words stirred Achilles, who raised his spear-blade to his forehead.

[Don't lie!!]

Amakusa had foreseen this reaction. Who would believe such words?

'It is no lie.'

[Then tell me, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada! Do you not hate those who slaughtered your people?!]

'…'

This time, he fell silent. Memories long buried surfaced, dark and bitter. He wavered.

'I… once hated them.'

His voice sank, the usual gentleness fading, replaced by severity.

'Gods, men… I hated them all.'

'Not because I was slain. I hated humanity for constructing such a history and accepting it. I hated the system where the strong advance by consuming the weak.'

He laid bare his heart.

[Such hatred does not disappear! Where is it now?!]

'I cast it away, Rider!!'

He shouted, his composure breaking, as if the last of his defenses had been shattered.

Drawing a deep breath, he steadied himself and spoke again.

'To save mankind, I abandoned hatred for those who kill!'

'I will save everyone in this world!'

'I must! I must!!'

[...]

Achilles passed by him in silence, not looking back.

'Does my answer satisfy you?'

[...]

The man merely waved his hand, vanishing into the sunset.

Yes. That was his answer. The reason of Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. He would realize it. He must!

Now was the moment his dream would come true!

Vmmm~!

Before him appeared a holy white light, pure as an angel. The light slowly took form, becoming a silver-haired, red-eyed woman in a flowing white robe. Her features were exquisite, though her expression was nearly void. She approached him, bowed gently, then raised her gaze to meet his.

"Was it you who called me?"

Her ethereal voice held a trace of warmth, at odds with her cold expression.

"..."

Amakusa could not contain his excitement.

"Ah… indeed it was!"

Chapter 96: Mahākāla's World-Annihilating Holy Wheel

Satsuki's Tenseigan never failed to perceive the flow of energy around her—especially the infinite band of light overhead.

"So this is your Noble Phantasm…" She raised her gaze, sensing the immeasurable heat radiating within—heat of the Mahā Infinite scale. A faint smile curved her lips. "I hope it proves as worthy as your fists, and does not disappoint me."

"Māra, you are one of the strongest foes I have ever faced. From the very beginning, I knew my conclusion was already written…"

The Demon God King Goetia radiated overwhelming mana. It condensed into a unique signal, feeding into the heavenly band of light. The rotating band began to release energy capable of destroying stars and erasing worlds.

"But still… I want to try."

The mana pouring from his body swelled further, resonating with the entire temple. The atmosphere itself pressed heavily against Satsuki, striving to pin her down for the incoming annihilating radiance.

"Bear witness to my grand work, my ideal, the true meaning of my birth! Even if this temple collapses again! Even if the Ark sinks once more…"

As Goetia invoked the True Name of his Noble Phantasm, the band of light twisted into shapes like gnarled branches, coiling infinitely around a black celestial body. From its center, radiant violet beams began to bloom.

From the nature of the energy, Satsuki immediately recognized it. This was the very device that, during their earlier clash, had intercepted her Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.

"Remember my name—Goetia! Human Order Incineration Ritual: Demon God King Goetia!"

"My third Noble Phantasm, unleashed—[The Time of Birth Has Come, He Is the One Who Masters All]! Demon Buddha Māra, receive my final strike—Ars Almadel Salomonis!"

With the chant complete, the heavenly band became a cosmic weapon of infinite yield. It fired a beam of violet light vast enough to erase the world, thundering with lightning and erasing time and space as it struck against Māra's golden body.

The entire Temple of Time was engulfed in blinding white light.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!

A cataclysm on par with planetary detonation erupted within this Singularity, divorced from the normal frames of time.

The already fractured ground of the Temple of Time was obliterated completely. No place to stand remained anywhere within the domain.

As the dazzling brilliance faded, a dreamlike figure still stood there, unscathed, as calm and poised as ever.

A black robe flowing. Black hair drifting. Eyes tilted in cold indifference. A faintly raised smile.

Demon Buddha Māra. Even under the full strike of Goetia's strongest Noble Phantasm—she remained unharmed.

Though he had expected as much, seeing it with his own eyes filled Goetia with despair unlike any he had ever felt.

"It seems your Noble Phantasm requires time to recharge after releasing such an attack…" Satsuki's voice was light as she glanced at the still-turning band of light. "Then that means… that strike just now was already your full power?"

Disappointment flickered in her tone, though it was tempered by calm acceptance. Her seemingly effortless defense had in truth relied on the Vipralopa Truth-Seeking Orbs forming a barrier.

This was the first time she had assumed a defensive posture in this world—not because she doubted the endurance of her Demon Buddha body, but out of respect for her opponent's attack.

Yet the defense wrought from Vipralopa was flawless. It blocked the beam from beyond the void completely. Even her Dead Line Boundary had not been touched.

"Māra, your Vipralopa power holds absolute dominance over this world built upon fantasy and legend. No wonder the Counter Force labored so desperately to summon us against you."

Goetia's fighting spirit dissolved. After his strongest Noble Phantasm had been resisted without injury, battle was meaningless.

He was an absolute rational being. Even in fury, he remained rational.

"So, you've given up?" Satsuki extended her hand. A black wheel of dead lines bloomed within her palm. "Then one final question…"

Satsuki closed her eyes, quietly attuning herself to the connection between her foe and the temple, then spoke: "When I first saw you in this temple, there was a sword scar across your chest. The underworld flames upon it seemed familiar. I presume it was the work of the Assassin from this Holy Grail War?"

"Ah, yes." Goetia replied. "That one too was summoned by the Counter Force as their trump card against you. But it seems he chose to strike down me first—the Beast of Pity."

"How strong is he?"

As she asked, Satsuki hurled the black holy wheel in her hand into the sky. As though transcending time and space itself, the wheel wrapped around the heavenly band of light above. In an instant, the colossal heat that could have incinerated all of human history was devoured entirely.

"I do not know. I never saw his full strength. But he possesses a certain authority over death." Perhaps because he was once more about to face annihilation, Goetia's expression was calm, almost serene. To die like this might be preferable, more fitting to his will, than to survive as the Counter Force's enforcer and emerge victorious.

"I see."

Their exchange ended.

The wheel in the sky expanded without limit, reversing to engulf the entire Temple of Time. Whatever its power touched was erased, without exception, from the very concept of [existence].

"Such a technique, such might… Truly worthy of one who could descend under the class of [Saver]."

Goetia understood. His immortality could no longer be maintained.

For his undying nature was bound to the Temple of Time itself. As long as the temple endured, so would he. Within this place, the concepts of destruction and non-destruction coexisted in quantum superposition—that was the true source of his immortality.

But her technique struck at the root, erasing existence itself. The Temple of Time was obliterated from the level of [concept].

"A domain woven from dead lines can envelop the entire [Singularity]. Within this space, any matter with initial velocity moves faster than light. And once it exceeds light-speed, its length of reality is infinitely shortened, approaching zero. Within this field of dead lines, all things vanish completely—erased from the concept of [existence]."

Satsuki's form faded from the temple. Only her faint voice lingered, echoing through the void.

This technique embodied her insight as Demon Buddha Māra into the doctrine of dependent origination and emptiness—a most merciless expression of Buddhist truth, an attack without solution.

"Its name is—Mahākāla's World-Annihilating Holy Wheel."

...

When Satsuki reappeared, she was already outside the Temple of Time.

She floated high above the forest, waiting for Mahākāla's World-Annihilating Holy Wheel to completely consume the Temple of Time's information. This would aid her in constructing her own [Buddha-Kingdom].

Yet within her Tenseigan, she noticed an interesting scene.

Below, in the forest, Chaldea's group stood together with Irisviel and another short-haired, capable-looking woman.

Opposite them stood Kirei Kotomine, Executor of the Holy Church.

Their Servants, bound by prior agreements with the Church, did not manifest physically to intervene. Instead, they seemed occupied with searching for distortions of the Singularity.

"Strange. I clearly sensed that Caster's mana reaction in this area before—why has it suddenly vanished?"

By Irisviel's side, the Knight King of Britain remained concealed. She had only been accompanying Irisviel on a stroll near the castle, but at the forest's edge she had sensed the twisted mana of Caster.

As a vessel of the Lesser Grail, Irisviel was especially sensitive to such power. The two discussed briefly and decided to investigate.

There they encountered the Executor of the Holy Church—the man her husband, Kiritsugu Emiya, had once called the most dangerous participant in this war.

Irisviel and her bodyguard, the short-haired woman known as Maiya Hisau, exchanged a few blows with him. Though restrained due to the presence of Servants, the skirmish revealed just how inhumanly strong the emotionless Church Executor was in martial skill.

When the two women fell into disadvantage, Chaldea's party—banished by Satsuki from Caster's Singularity—arrived on the scene. Seeing the situation, they instinctively sided with the women. Of course, it was a conscious choice as well.

"The Executor of the Holy Church, Kirei Kotomine… also the Master of Assassin in this Holy Grail War…"

Even while troubled by the events of the Singularity, Lord El-Melloi II's mind turned swiftly to the present situation.

"If I recall, your Holy Church claims to act as neutral overseers of the Holy Grail War. Yet here, it seems you've abandoned that stance. Are you saying the Clock Tower means nothing to you?"

"Quite the opposite."

Kirei's expression remained as empty as his heart. His gaze shifted toward Irisviel and Maiya. "I am here under the joint commission of both the Clock Tower and the Holy Church: to eliminate the irregularity within this Holy Grail War—namely, the magus killer Kiritsugu Emiya. Those two women, for reasons unknown, sought to obstruct my mission. Nothing more."

"This… impossible."

"I have no need to lie. You carry the mana of a magus yourself—you should know that representatives of the Clock Tower are also present in this war."

Kirei's eyes turned toward the distant castle. "Kiritsugu Emiya used methods unworthy even of magi in his attempt to eliminate that Clock Tower representative. Given his past deeds, both factions have decided jointly to erase him."

Finally, he spoke with chilling calm: "Kiritsugu Emiya's actions have angered not only the Clock Tower, but also the Holy Church."

"Kirei Kotomine, you are the greatest threat to Kiritsugu in this war. Our reason for being here is simple—we stand against you, not as Masters, but as Kiritsugu's family."

Irisviel did not hide her purpose. The conflict was now unavoidable.

Her declaration left El-Melloi II momentarily at a loss. What surprised him even more was not simply Kirei's reasoning, but his claim: that he acted under joint orders from both the Clock Tower and the Holy Church.

And in the original Holy Grail War, the one Kiritsugu had crushed most severely—and who was also tied to the Clock Tower—was none other than his former mentor, Kayneth.

"That ever-arrogant Kayneth actually went so far as to seek aid from the Holy Church… how absurd this worldline must have become."

Meanwhile, as Chaldea's final Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru considered the situation from another angle.

To him, these internal disputes of the world mattered little. So long as they did not escalate to the level of a Singularity or Lostbelt—requiring Chaldea's direct attention and intervention—he would not interfere.

After traversing so many worlds, he had long since accepted the law of "survival of the fittest."

But should a factor arise that threatened the entire "ecological structure," his sense of duty would compel him to act without hesitation.

At present, due to the Church Overseer Kotomine Risei's sudden announcement of altered rules: all Masters, save for Caster, were to temporarily cease hostilities, only resuming the Holy Grail War after eliminating Caster together.

Kirei Kotomine, by virtue of his dual identity, could act as Executor of the Holy Church. So long as he refrained from unleashing his Servant, none could object.

Kiritsugu Emiya, however, was an exception—having earned the wrath of both the Clock Tower and the Holy Church. If he were "accidentally" eliminated, neither faction would shed a tear.

For this was reality—not some naive world where the powerful would voluntarily bind themselves with rules.

Still, for Servants, standing idly by while their Masters faced mortal peril was unthinkable.

Though she disdained Kiritsugu's methods, the Knight King nonetheless lent him a portion of her Noble Phantasm's blessing, while she herself stood guard over Irisviel.

After all, Irisviel was her true source of mana—and her grace and bearing aligned with the king's ideal image of a Master.

In such a tangled situation, Fujimaru's stance as an outsider carried decisive weight.

He was not bound by the Church's rules, yet his power was more than enough to sway the balance.

Thus, when he resolved to have Mash enter the fray, all eyes immediately shifted to him.

Looking between both sides, Fujimaru raised his Command Spell and declared: "Enough! The Holy Grail War is no longer the priority. Our true enemy is Caster—Goetia, summoned in the Caster class, is the greatest threat we face now!"

Chapter 183: The Geass Called [Plunder]

In the somewhat empty underground sanctuary of the cathedral, Vela stood before the murals of her maternal ancestors' crypt. One hand clasped behind her back, the other gently caressing the carved patterns, she quietly dazed.

Before her energy was consumed by the demands of military and political affairs, her goals had been simple: to seize power and to obtain Geass—to become a wielder of the 'Power of Kings.'

Although the process and method were not what she had envisioned.

At first, she had thought she would have to bow her head before her uncle, or else cling forcefully to that witch of the forest…

But when the time came to reap her prize, what greeted her was instead a skull.

Tch.

Truly, a sad disappointment.

Unknowingly, Vela's indigo eyes, glowing with a strange red light, widened.

In the crypt, solemn and ancient to others, she now saw something that transcended norms and the realm of physics—a human skull.

Floating in midair, bare and clean of flesh, gleaming. Upon its forehead burned the eerie red sigil of the Geass bird.

Its hollow sockets were like a gaze from the depths of hell.

"I feel your desire, your craving. Do you wish to obtain power, descendant of Hohenzollern?"

A hoarse and low voice.

Though its jaw did not move, though it had no vocal cords, though it was beyond language, the strange voice carried flawlessly into Vela's ears, brushing her mind like Mnemosyne's silken veil.

Vela's expression did not change, as though entirely unaffected.

"Oh? And what can you give me, old revenant dwelling in my ancestors' tomb?"

In that instant when the world seemed to halt, colors fading and the crypt blurring, she asked knowingly, her eyes glinting with interest.

"You are expecting."

The skull spoke with certainty: "Black eagle of Hohenzollern, you indeed know something."

"For this you came."

It asked, but soon discarded the thought.

"No matter. As you said, I am an old revenant. And so, to the one in this new age who would conquer the world and scourge it with her whip—your powerful desire has awakened me. Thus, the contract is sealed. Let me grant you this power."

In the next moment, dazzling crimson radiance flared from the Geass sigil upon its forehead.

The hollow sockets blazed, spilling forth blood-like streams of shifting light, threads of radiance that writhed like veins.

They wound their way into Vela's eyes.

In that instant, her mind thundered as if struck by the genesis of creation itself, followed by countless whispers—indistinguishable as male or female.

Until the toll of the cathedral bell resounded once more in her ears, Vela raised her head.

In terms of time, it had been only an instant.

Her senses flowed again, the faded colors of the murals filling once more. The skull that had floated before her was gone.

Only the mural's Geass bird sigil remained, now dulled and dim.

Its spirit had vanished.

Like grave goods unearthed and oxidized to colorless decay.

The skull of a dead Code bearer—or perhaps, the lingering force of their spirit…

So Vela thought silently.

One thing was certain: this ancient Code bearer had been slain, their Code stolen—not willingly passed on.

If it had been voluntary, then according to the testimony of the oldest living Code bearer, C.C.—presently in Area 11 with her rebellious Eleventh Brother—when a bearer willingly passes their Code to another, they inevitably die.

Because it is voluntary, the Geass born of their wish dies with them, leaving no residue.

But this skull still held fragments of Code power, and remnants of spirit.

Thus, by what is known, the skull's owner must have been killed by their own contractor—whose Geass had matured, both eyes awakened, capable of accepting the Code.

Much like, in the original timeline, the 'Rebellious Black Prince' Lelouch's parricide and matricide.

After assimilating his father Charles' newly-won Code, Lelouch seized power and carried out the "Zero Requiem Plan." He did not die—and later, during resurrection and memory restoration, he encountered Charles and Marianne's lingering spirits in the chaos of the "C's World." Their souls, restless and unyielding, sought to prevent Lelouch from regaining his memory.

C's World, simply put, was humanity's collective unconscious—the Alaya.

The only difference was that the skull she faced must have been slain in the physical world, leaving remnants behind. Charles, by contrast, was devoured entirely within [C's World], leaving not even a trace, and thus no lingering spirit to affect reality.

From the Crusades to the Teutonic Order, to Prussia—how the Hohenzollerns had obtained it, when they had obtained it, whether the skull's owner had been one of her ancestors—was irrelevant.

Lowering her hand from the mural, Vela now felt her mind clearer than ever, her spirit surging with exhilaration.

That warm, faintly itching sensation was intoxicating, overwhelming. The power named Geass had imprinted itself into her soul—or rather, had been accepted by her [soul].

But.

"My Geass ability?"

Vela's brows furrowed slightly as her indigo left eye was swiftly consumed by blood-like crimson. Within it, a scarlet bird spread its wings, ready to soar.

Yet in the end, it was "ready to soar"—but could not take flight.

For her Geass's active ability was absent.

More precisely—awaiting its place.

"I see. Plunder, is it."

So Vela murmured silently, feeling the highly active new power she had gained.

She could sense the will of Geass itself—the hunger. Call it plunder, seizure, or exchange: she could steal and wield the abilities of other Geass users.

If other Geass users were to her "operating chips," then her own Geass was the "universal slot"—plug and play.

Its effect and the number of "slots" depended on her physical strength, spirit, and aptitude.

Once the "universal slot" was fitted with an "operating chip," the bird in her eye would truly take wing.

"A Geass most perfectly suited to me!"

Grinning, brushing a finger beneath her left eye, Vela narrowed her gaze.

Thinking it over—it was the perfect match for her nature.

The form of Geass was shaped by one's own wish and aptitude.

Aptitude could not be quantified, so leave that aside.

For example: C.C., who longed to be loved, gained the Geass of "being loved." Mao, an orphan who wished to understand others, gained "mind reading." Lelouch, who wished for power to destroy Britannia, gained the "absolute command." Charles, the rewriting of memory…

As for Vela—

She was pragmatic. She had no interest in being inexplicably loved, nor in draining herself trying to understand others.

She pursued strength, but also craved power, gain, conquest.

To fight, to seize, to plunder, to conquer, to expand, to build her own order.

To become Britannia's Empress, unify the world, lead the march of technological progress, and guide Britannia to the stars…

Not merely for her sister, not to destroy the world or craft some vague ideal world.

Along with her hidden, unspoken perspective beyond the masses, her greed to conquer and command, and her instinctive resistance to being controlled by Geass—born of her precocious knowledge—this had woven the form of her ability.

In short: she knew too much, thought too much, desired too much.

Therefore—she would plunder and dominate the Geass of others!

Without doubt, this was a power strong in both worldly and Geass realms. Beginning as a "blank entry" mattered little. For Vela, it was the most fitting ability. Her own advantages freed her from any concern over growth pains or lack of targets.

Thinking so, she smiled.

One hand covering her eye, Vela's heart surged with restless anticipation.

A blade in hand, the will to kill arose.

She could hardly wait to seize a Geass user to test her new power.

Suppressing her impulse to immediately experiment on Shin Hyuga Shaing, Vela steadied herself, turned, and unhurriedly drew her pistol. She aimed at a shadow near the entrance of the Prussian Duke's crypt.

"You've been watching for some time, haven't you, friend."

A sense of being observed—but without malice. Vela had noticed.

Clap, clap.

"As expected of Charles' finest child, one with the strongest Geass potential."

Footsteps sounded.

From the shadows emerged a small, short figure dressed in finery, with long, faintly curled pale-golden hair.

"You are?"

Her gaze sharpened, just enough surprise flickering across Vela's face.

Bathed in the dim ancient candlelight of the cathedral's crypt, the boy lifted his head. Ignoring the pistol aimed at him, his violet eyes met Vela's without fear. In them was an aged, inscrutable depth far beyond his youthful face, as he fixed upon her left eye.

"To awaken Geass in such a way—faster than I expected. Thanks to you, the Geass ruins beneath Königsberg were activated, and I could arrive here."

Speaking to himself, he added: "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. A pleasure to meet you. I am V.V…

By kinship, you should call me Uncle, Vela."