Orario, Astraea Familia headquarters.
The sunlight was especially bright today, spilling golden warmth across the newly restored courtyard and painting the place in a scene of peace.
At the center of the courtyard, more than a dozen figures had gathered together, filling the air with laughter and chatter.
They were the resurrected members of the Astraea Familia: Alise and the other children who had died in the Dungeon.
They crowded around Astraea, all talking at once as they described how it felt to come back to life. Their faces shone with the joy of those who had survived a disaster.
Astraea stood among them with a gentle smile on her face, tears faintly glimmering at the corners of her eyes.
Her children had finally returned.
And all of it was thanks to that boy.
She turned her head and looked toward Genichi, who stood off to the side.
Genichi was leaning against a corridor pillar, his face pale and his eyes heavy with exhaustion.
Half a month of continuous high-intensity resurrection, one Ninth-Tier spell every day, had taken an enormous toll on him.
Originally, after returning to Orario with Demeter, he had planned to leave the DanMachi world and return to either the DxD world or the Grudge Spirit world. In the end, because he had to resurrect the Astraea Familia, his departure had been put on hold.
With Genichi's magic, he could resurrect one person at most per day.
After each resurrection, he had to rest for a while before he could recover.
Using the Ninth-Tier spell True Resurrection did not merely consume magic. It also weakened Genichi's ability values.
That forced him into a cycle. During the day, he would resurrect one Familia member. At night, he would send his shadows into the Dungeon to grind his ability values back up.
Once his ability values were full again, he would return the next day and revive the next person.
Then he would repeat the process.
Because of that, the whole affair had delayed him by nearly half a month.
For half a month, every day had followed that same cycle of recovery and expenditure.
Although his ability values had not fallen, the mental and physical exhaustion were very real.
Today, he had finally completed the resurrection of the last Familia member.
Genichi let out a long breath and was just about to walk toward Demeter to tell her they could leave.
However, at that exact moment...
His mind suddenly blurred.
He knew that sensation all too well.
Dizziness. Weightlessness. The feeling of his soul being forcibly dragged away.
The Colosseum's summons.
Genichi's expression changed instantly.
He did not even have time to leave a word for Demeter before the scenery before his eyes began to twist.
Astraea's smile, Demeter's worried gaze, Alise waving at him. Everything rapidly receded, swallowed by endless darkness.
"Genichi!"
Demeter's cry echoed in his ears, but it was already growing distant.
The next moment, Genichi vanished from where he stood.
The Colosseum.
Endless space. Endless darkness. Endless solitude.
Genichi's figure appeared out of thin air in that void.
He staggered and nearly fell.
After half a month of continuous strain, his condition had hit rock bottom.
His ability values had fallen sharply from repeated Ninth-Tier spellcasting, his mental strength was on the verge of collapse, and his magic had been completely drained by the final resurrection just now.
Right now, he was in an extremely weakened state.
Forget fighting. Even standing was difficult.
Genichi gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay conscious.
He looked around, warily observing his surroundings.
He knew the Colosseum's rules all too well. Two versions of himself entered, and only one could leave alive.
In this state, he could not guarantee he would survive.
The first thing Genichi wanted to do was use Shadow King and hide inside the shadow space.
But with his magic exhausted, he could not even cast that spell.
Damn it!
Genichi's heart sank.
Just then, his gaze landed on the opposite side.
There, another figure was slowly taking shape.
It was himself from another world.
Genichi watched the other self with caution, rapidly calculating how to respond.
But when he saw the other self's condition clearly, he could not help freezing.
Another half-dead one?
The Genichi across from him was covered in blood, his face as pale as paper.
The most horrifying sight was the wound at his side: a deep cut stretching from his ribs all the way to his hip. The edges were clean and neat, clearly made by a sharp weapon.
Inside the wound, there was nothing.
One of his kidneys had been dug out.
That Genichi lay in a pool of blood, struggling to raise his head and look at him.
His eyes were unfocused. His lips trembled. With the last of his strength, he forced out a few words.
"Save... save me..."
His voice was so weak it was nearly inaudible, but in the deathly silence of the Colosseum, it reached Genichi's ears clearly.
Genichi looked at him without expression.
He did not move at all.
He simply stood there in silence, watching the other self.
Save him?
With what?
He could barely protect himself. His magic was exhausted, his ability values had dropped, and he could die at any moment.
More importantly, this was the Colosseum.
Its rule was slaughter.
The winner lived. The loser died.
Even if he had the ability to save the other self, he would not do it.
Because if he saved him, he might be the one who died.
Genichi looked coldly at his dying counterpart, without the slightest ripple in his heart.
Whether the other self was truly near death or merely pretending in order to lure him close, Genichi had no intention of taking the risk.
If he was really going to die, then let him die.
Only once the other self died could Genichi survive.
Seeing him remain unmoved, the other Genichi's eyes flashed with despair.
But very quickly, that despair turned savage.
He struggled to lift his head and, with the last of his strength, roared.
"I won't accept this!"
His voice was filled with hatred and unwillingness, echoing through the empty Colosseum.
"Avenge me! I want the people who hurt me to pay!"
His body began to tremble. Blood gushed from his wound, but he still glared fixedly at Genichi, his eyes burning with a mad flame.
"Otherwise, even as a ghost, I won't let you off!"
After shouting those final words, his body went limp.
His eyes remained wide open, staring hard in Genichi's direction, filled with unwillingness and resentment.
But his pupils had already gone unfocused. His breathing had stopped. His life had vanished completely.
He was dead.
With endless hatred and regret, he had died in that void.
Genichi quietly looked at him, complicated emotions rising in his chest.
Another unlucky bastard.
His kidney had been dug out, and he had been dumped here to wait for death.
Even at the end, he still wanted revenge. He still wanted another version of himself to fulfill his wish.
Unfortunately, Genichi was not the type of person who would risk his life for a stranger.
Even if that stranger was another version of himself.
Just then, the other Genichi's body began to collapse.
Starting from his limbs, it gradually turned into countless tiny motes of light.
Those specks drifted through the void like fireflies, then slowly gathered toward Genichi.
That was the Colosseum's rule: the victor plundered everything from the defeated.
That Genichi was dead, and everything he possessed would now belong to Genichi.
The motes grew more numerous and dense until they completely enveloped him.
Genichi closed his eyes and felt the memories flowing into his mind.
But at that moment, a faint voice sounded in his head.
It was the final resentment of that other Genichi.
"Avenge me... Otherwise... I won't accept this..."
The voice was filled with hatred and curses, clinging to the depths of Genichi's soul like a festering infection.
Genichi opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them.
"Don't worry."
He spoke in a low voice. "I'll avenge you. But not because of you."
He paused, the corner of his mouth lifting into a cold smile.
"Only because the people who hurt you deserve to die too."
At last, the motes of light fully merged into his body.
The Colosseum fell silent again, leaving only Genichi standing there alone.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands, feeling the new power surging inside him.
He had completely absorbed that Genichi's abilities.
That included the memories of that world, as well as information about the people who had hurt him.
Genichi raised his head and looked into the depths of the void.
"Just wait," he murmured. "Once I finish dealing with things on this side, I'll go collect this debt for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure began to turn transparent.
The Colosseum's teleportation was about to send him back to his original world.
And in the final moment before he vanished, one thought surfaced in Genichi's mind.
This time had been far too close.
If that other Genichi had not been in even worse condition than him, if he had not died first, then with Genichi's weakened state, even the slightest bit of strength from the other side would have put him in danger.
He could never allow this to happen again.
No matter when, he had to keep strength in reserve.
No matter when, he had to stay alert.
Because the Colosseum's summons could come at any time.
With a flash of light, Genichi vanished from the void.
(End of Chapter)
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