Half an hour later. The S-14 World, Aichi Symbiosis Academy. The first-floor lobby of the girls' dormitory. The floor-to-ceiling windows had been wiped so bright they reflected the indoor lights.
The red-haired dorm matron Maria sat cross-legged on the soft carpet, a cup of still-steaming black tea in her hands.
Seated across from her were Inaba Tsukuyo, along with two newly arrived residents—Holy Emperor and Tendou Kisara.
The girls' dormitory of the private Aichi Symbiosis Academy had always been lavishly appointed.
The lobby was laid with thick carpet, and exquisite tea snacks were set out on the table.
Holy Emperor, dressed in a simple casual house dress, looked around her.
Beyond the windows, an expanse of emerald lawn glistened in the interplay of nightfall and garden lamps.
Cradling her teacup, she shifted her gaze from the clear tea within it to the world outside the window.
No ruined city, no devastated wreckage as far as the eye could see, and certainly no Gastrea that might come lunging out of the dark at any moment. The night held only the chirping of insects.
"This world is truly so peaceful it's hard to believe."
Holy Emperor sighed softly.
"Yes—no Gastrea, and not even the faintest whiff of blood in the air."
Tendou Kisara, sitting beside her with a cup of tea in her own hands, murmured in agreement. She stared blankly out the window.
For someone who had grown up since childhood amid hatred and blood, this kind of tranquility instead seemed somewhat unreal.
Maria, who had already heard the story of their world from several of the girls, listened to the two of them and let out a sigh.
"I really can't imagine that your world is home to such terrifying monsters."
"And those who are called the Cursed Children…"
"It's too cruel."
As the matron of the girls' dormitory, used to looking after these girls day to day, Maria couldn't help shaking her head as she said this.
She set her teacup on the low glass tea table before her, seeming to feel the topic was too heavy, and thought to change the subject.
"Come to think of it, that Kami-sama who brought you all away is truly an omnipotent being."
"But…" Maria had just finished her exclamation when she seemed to remember something; her brow knit slightly despite herself as she looked toward Inaba Tsukuyo, her eyes full of an adult's concern.
"You mentioned before that, in the Lower World, gods are forbidden from using Divine Power."
"If word that this Lord Haimer freely uses Divine Power were discovered by other gods or by the Guild, wouldn't that be dangerous?"
Dangerous? That was truly a good question. Upon hearing Maria's words.
The expressions on the faces of Inaba Tsukuyo, Holy Emperor, and Tendou Kisara all turned somewhat subtle. After all. Had it been earlier.
they might still have felt some worry.
But now…
Through the minds of all three flashed those secrets of the Heavens that Fels had recounted deep within the safe zone on the Dungeon's 20th floor.
As the tyrant who had stirred up a war of gods in the Heavens and slaughtered nearly every god to the last.
If anything were truly to be called dangerous, it would more likely be the gods who discovered their own Kami-sama using Divine Power in the Lower World feeling that they were the ones in danger.
After all. Considering what they themselves had seen and heard in the Lower World.
Judging by the attitude of that group of gods in present-day Orario when they saw Lord Haimer dare to openly bring Miss Rei and the others up to the surface.
even if in the future the matter of Lord Haimer using Divine Power in the Lower World really were stumbled upon.
the ones who ought to truly worry would be the gods who realized they'd seen something they shouldn't have.
No one would be foolish enough to court bad luck from a fierce, ominous god.
"Teacher Maria needn't worry."
At this thought, Inaba Tsukuyo set down her teacup, her closed eyes turned toward Maria, the corners of her mouth curving into a faint, barely noticeable arc.
"Kami-sama has his own principles for how he acts, and the great god over on the Guild's side, the city's administrator, has always been very lenient toward our god."
Lenient? Upon hearing this, Maria keenly sensed the information hidden behind Inaba Tsukuyo's words.
This was by no means merely lenient in the ordinary sense. What's more. Seeing the relaxed manner of all three.
Maria dimly realized she might really have been worrying over nothing.
That Kami-sama's situation seemed to be entirely different from what she had been imagining.
"In that case, then I'm reassured."
Maria took the chance to steer the topic away. She turned her head, looking out beyond the windows.
"Still, those two children really are full of energy."
The three in the lobby followed Maria's line of sight, casting their gaze toward the lawn outside the window. At this moment. The enormous courtyard outside the girls' dormitory could be called positively lively.
Aihara Enju and Hiruko Kohina were surrounded by a ring of girls from the private Aichi Symbiosis Academy. "Watch closely!"
Aihara Enju, wearing an orange hooded sweatshirt, struck a stance and suddenly drove force through her legs. "Bang!"
A muffled thud sounded, and she stamped a pit half a foot deep straight into the grass.
Her body crossed a distance of over a dozen meters in an instant, landing steadily on the balcony railing of the third-floor dormitory!
Right after, like a nimble rabbit.
she scaled the dormitory's sheer vertical walls, and after a few leaps and drops, landed steadily back on the lawn. Without so much as panting for breath.
"Wow!" "Amazing!"
The other ordinary girls, seeing this, instantly had eyes full of little stars, gasping in admiration one after another.
"Heh heh, this is just the basics!"
Seeing this, Aihara Enju promptly tilted her chin up smugly, hands on her hips, those red eyes brimming with excitement. After all.
This feeling—of being able to show off her strength freely, without fear of being cursed as a monster, and instead being worshipped by people without the slightest reservation—was a luxury she had never once dreamed of in her short life so far.
"It's Kohina's turn! It's Kohina's turn!"
Hiruko Kohina, unable to wait, darted out from behind Aihara Enju.
Gripping two small tachi, one in each hand, she fixed her eyes on an abandoned, withered ornamental tree at the courtyard's edge—so thick it would take two people to encircle it—a dangerously aggressive smile breaking across her face.
"Here it comes!" At her words, the surrounding girls hurriedly backed away, afraid of being caught in it.
Hiruko Kohina bent her legs slightly and leaned forward. The next instant. She turned into a streaking afterimage and shot forward!
A flash of blade light.
No one could make out when she drew her blades, nor when she sheathed them.
They saw only a silver-white line cut across the night. And then. "Crack——"
The treetop toppled, crashing onto the open ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
A smooth cut had appeared through the middle of the huge withered tree's trunk.
"S-so fast!" The watching girls' eyes went wide, too shocked to speak.
Such speed was entirely beyond what their naked eyes could track.
As for beneath the one remaining lush, leafy cherry tree in the courtyard.
Nomura Satori sat leaning against that tree's trunk, watching the two rowdy ones not far off.
After their heart-to-heart on the last return, the estrangement between her and her elder sister Misogi had completely dissolved.
However. Though the two sisters had buried the hatchet. Misogi was clearly still a little ill at ease.
She had grown accustomed to wearing that somewhat crude hockey mask.
At this moment she clutched tightly in her hand the little pouch containing the hairclip that Satori had given her last time.
Sitting at Nomura Satori's side, likewise watching ahead, her body seemed somewhat stiff and reserved.
"They really are full of life." Misogi's voice came out from under the mask, muffled.
"Overflowing with energy, more like."
Hearing her sister praise them, Nomura Satori—who usually doted especially on the two little ones—instead pursed her lips this time.
"Though, come to think of it…" Nomura Satori turned her head, looking at her sister beside her, her voice softening a touch.
"It's true that while we were over there, Kami-sama was very good to us, everyone looked after one another just the same, and every day was either hunting monsters or eating good food—life was quite cushy."
"But." Nomura Satori paused, raising her head to glance at the moon in the night sky.
"Once in a while, Little Satori still feels a bit lonely, and really wishes her big sister could come over and keep Little Satori company."
"But what a shame—right now, you're too weak, big sis."
Nomura Satori looked Misogi up and down. Then complained in a half-joking tone:
"In a place like that, just any monster that pops out could tear you to shreds, big sis."
At these words, Misogi's shoulders visibly flinched.
"R-right, sor—" Misogi hurriedly lowered her head and said softly.
"I… I'll work hard to get stronger."
"So that I can be together with Satori in the future and not become a burden to her, big sis… big sis will train with everything she's got."
Though Misogi's voice still trembled, after drawing a deep breath it took on a thread of resolve.
She could no longer hide behind Satori.
Seeing her sister so earnest, Nomura Satori couldn't help laughing too, and gave a light tap on Misogi's mask.
"All right then." "Since big sis has said as much…"
Nomura Satori stared into Misogi's eyes, her tone turning brisk and light.
"Then once you're ready, the next time we go back to Orario, I'll go and beg Kami-sama."
"Kami-sama is so lenient—as long as big sis can prove her worth, he's sure to agree."
"And besides, I hear that in the future we'll even get to live in a castle!"
Meanwhile. On the other side of the courtyard. Beside a bench near the flowerbed.
Hanasaka Warabi sat cross-legged atop the bench's backrest. Beside her lay Kyoubou and a little bear, sprawled out.
The two bears snorted, paying no mind to the clamor around them, just sleeping soundly on.
Sawatari Niko, Tanukihara Kinue, and Touko Tsunemi, the three of them, stood arrayed in a fan shape before Hanasaka Warabi.
"Hey. You lot, don't just stand there spacing out!"
"In a few more days, it'll be the day of the council of gods I told you about last time, and then I'll get to receive an official title acknowledged by all the gods!"
Hanasaka Warabi patted her own chest, her face full of pride.
"That's an honor even the people of that world dream of!"
"And Kami-sama even granted me special permission to come up with one myself! That's a tremendous show of face!"
After a gap of several days, hearing the words 'god' and 'the gods' surface before them once more.
even knowing that these words had become real, Sawatari Niko, Tanukihara Kinue, and Touko Tsunemi still felt a touch dizzy and dazed.
"A title bestowed by the gods themselves…"
Touko Tsunemi's iron fan snapped shut in her hand with a "clack," and she swallowed.
"It really sounds just like a hero out of a mythic epic. So, Big Sis, what kind of title do you want?"
"Need you even ask? Of course it has to be the awe-inspiring kind!"
Hanasaka Warabi hopped down from the bench, planted one foot on it, and struck a blade-drawing pose.
"Like, the Mad Beast That Cleaves the Azure Sky! Or the Yellow Thunder That Shatters the Earth! Doesn't that sound domineering?"
"Big Sis… those two titles sound a bit like the villain mooks from a tokusatsu show."
Tanukihara Kinue's lips twitched.
"What did you say?!" Hanasaka Warabi instantly went wide-eyed and made as if to lunge over and pinch Tanukihara Kinue's cheek.
"But I do think that, since Big Sis has Kyoubou at her side, why not a title like King of Beasts or Lord of Ten Thousand Forests? It'd suit your beast-commanding fighting style better, Big Sis."
Seeing this, Sawatari Niko pushed up her goggles and hurried to smooth things over.
"King of Beasts does sound okay." "But it still feels like it's missing something—not unique enough."
Hanasaka Warabi rubbed her chin and mulled it over for a while, but soon shook her head again, rejecting the suggestion.
What she wanted was the kind of name that stuck the moment you heard it.
As for the other side. Because of the private Aichi Symbiosis Academy's special teaching methods. The girls' dormitory was equipped with an indoor training hall.
The lights here were turned up bright, the wooden floor swept spotless, giving off a crisp clack of footsteps on board when trodden upon.
Onigawara Rin had by now changed into a simple training outfit and stood at the center of the hall, a wooden sword in her hand.
Standing across from her was a sweat-drenched Mozunono Nono.
Just now. She had already charged at Onigawara Rin ten times.
"Is this all you've got?" "Didn't you promise me last time that you'd work hard to grow stronger and keep up with my pace?"
Onigawara Rin's tone was severe.
Mozunono Nono gripped a baton in both hands, gasping in great gulps, her chest heaving violently, sweat dripping down her cheeks onto the floor.
Because every one of her attacks was easily flicked aside by Onigawara Rin's wooden sword—a mere casual nudge was enough to neutralize all her force.
Such a chasm in strength left her feeling deeply discouraged.
Her voice couldn't help taking on a sob, and the hands gripping the baton were trembling. "Rin-nee…" Mozunono Nono's face was crumpled in misery.
"It's been less than a week since you all came back last time!"
"How could I possibly grow that fast?!"
"Excuses." "If you think the time's too short, then try to make one day do the work of ten!"
Onigawara Rin's tone was stern, not sparing her in the least.
At this, Mozunono Nono bit her lip, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, suddenly feeling that Rin had become too harsh.
Seeing that her words really had landed a bit too heavily.
Onigawara Rin sighed too, walking over and patting Mozunono Nono's shoulder helplessly.
"Nono, I'm not pushing you for the sake of it."
"I just want to tell you that if you truly want to keep up with us, to stand behind that great one, then you have to cast off all your weakness."
Because over these days in Orario, Onigawara Rin had come into contact with many adventurers, and every day she heard of someone meeting their end in the Dungeon over a moment's weakness.
She understood clearly that that world was cruel.
"Nono, do you know what God's Grace is?"
And so, Onigawara Rin looked at Mozunono Nono, her tone unable to keep from turning serious.
"Grace is not power granted out of thin air; it is the key that unlocks your soul's potential."
"If your conviction isn't firm, if your soul is full of stray thoughts, you'll never give birth to a truly powerful skill."
"That's why I hope that, if you really intend to follow me, you won't plan on staying a mediocre person."
"Because in that world, the mediocre really do die."
Onigawara Rin's gaze rested on Mozunono Nono.
"If you really believe you can do it, then prove it to me, Nono." "I'll be watching you all along."
"I…" Mozunono Nono stared blankly at Onigawara Rin.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something. "Waaaaaaahhh—"
A heart-rending wail suddenly rang out.
Onigawara Rin and Mozunono Nono turned their heads at the same time.
There, in the hallway outside the indoor training hall.
Ubaragasaki Choka, clad in an elaborate lacy dress, was clinging for dear life to Kikakujou Mary's thigh, crying without a shred of dignity.
"Boo-hoo-hoo-waah, Miss Mary! Are you giving up on Choka?!"
Kikakujou Mary, dressed in light casual clothes, was trying with a helpless look to pull her leg free, but Ubaragasaki Choka clung so tightly she was practically a koala.
"Get up first, and let's talk it out properly—everyone around is watching."
Kikakujou Mary rubbed her temples, with a splitting headache.
"I won't get up!" Ubaragasaki Choka's eyes, fitted with mismatched-color contact lenses, brimmed full of tears.
"Ever since you came back this evening, you've kept going on about spending the whole day over there with some elf called Lefiya!"
"Have you gone and gotten yourself an elf little-sister over there?! You're going to abandon me!"
Seeing Ubaragasaki Choka keep latching onto what she'd shared after returning and refusing to let it go.
Kikakujou Mary was simply left speechless.
She had merely meant to share a fun little anecdote from her time in Orario today.
After all, it was an elf! And a Lv.3 Thousand Elf at that.
But somehow this had gotten twisted and clung to by this Ubaragasaki Choka girl, forcibly construed as her tossing aside the old love for the new.
"What on earth is going on in that head of yours?!" "Lefiya is a member of the [Loki Familia], and a Lv.3 Thousand Elf besides!"
"She's been in Orario far longer than I have—how could she possibly be my little sister?"
"But you spent the whole day together!"
Ubaragasaki Choka, face scrunched up in tears, still refused to let it go.
"You've never once spent a whole day out with me before!"
So that was what she was hung up on.
Looking at this stubborn little fangirl, Kikakujou Mary felt thoroughly worn out.
Fortunately, she suddenly thought of something. While looking through materials in the Guild library in Orario, she had come across an important record about adventurers. She'd never had the chance to bring it up. And so this idea came to her.
"Choka, do you really want to stay together with me that badly?"
"Mm! Mm! Mm!" Ubaragasaki Choka immediately nodded frantically.
Seeing her opening, Kikakujou Mary helplessly went on.
"Then do you know." "That as long as you receive a god's Grace over there and complete a rank sublimation." "A person's very form of life changes."
Kikakujou Mary lowered her head to look into Ubaragasaki Choka's eyes, her tone more serious than ever before.
Ubaragasaki Choka froze, her crying ceasing. And not just her. Mozunono Nono in the training hall also looked over this way.
"Changes? What do you mean?"
Ubaragasaki Choka asked, the hand gripping Kikakujou Mary's trouser leg loosening somewhat.
"It means that the me of now is already completely different from an ordinary human."
Kikakujou Mary went on explaining. "I'm now Lv.2."
"Though I don't look any different on the outside."
"But according to the records in the book, an adventurer who has completed sublimation has a lifespan of at least several hundred years."
"And I can live even longer as my level rises further."
"It's even possible to live for over a thousand years without my appearance aging at all."
The moment these words were out. Ubaragasaki Choka fell silent in an instant.
Not just Choka—even Onigawara Rin and Mozunono Nono, not far off, heard it crystal clear.
"A lifespan… of several… hundred years?" Ubaragasaki Choka let go entirely, dumbstruck, sprawling on the floor and gazing up at Kikakujou Mary.
"Mm, several hundred years…" Kikakujou Mary nodded.
"Which means that, if you stay in this world all along." "By the time you grow old, your hair gone white, and finally die, I'll still look just as I do now."
Kikakujou Mary looked at Ubaragasaki Choka's shocked face and continued:
"So, rather than bawling here because I went out shopping with someone else." "You'd be better off working hard to grow stronger."
"Strong enough to cross the Door of Light, go to that world with me, and receive a god's Grace alongside me."
"Otherwise." "What's between us is destined to be no more than a brief passing acquaintance—you'll grow old, and I won't."
With that. Kikakujou Mary extended a hand.
Ubaragasaki Choka looked at the hand Kikakujou Mary held out. Her whole being caught in an extreme state of shock, her mind buzzing.
The gap in lifespan—this was a chasm she had never once imagined.
But it also made her realize that if she just halted here and never took that step, she truly wouldn't even be qualified to stand at Miss Mary's side.
At this thought, Ubaragasaki Choka hastily wiped away her tears and seized Kikakujou Mary's hand, pulling herself to her feet.
"I understand now!" "So that Miss Mary won't be all alone in that world for over a thousand years!" "Choka will definitely grow stronger and stay by your side!"
"Huh?????" "What do you mean, you think I'll be all alone in that world for over a thousand years?!?!?!"
"Wahh!!! Miss Mary, are you going to marry someone else?!!" "Of course not!!! A Kami-sama's Familia members can only marry within the same Familia!!!"
Kikakujou Mary's face flushed, her own god surfacing unbidden in her mind.
As a result. Ubaragasaki Choka, on the contrary, got the wrong idea.
"So you mean you're going to fall for Rin-nee, who's in the same Familia?!?! Boo-hoo-hoo-waah!! I've suspected you two all along!!!!"
"Nani?!!" Ubaragasaki Choka dropped a bombshell!
Mozunono Nono was instantly struck with shock all over her face!
Kikakujou Mary and Onigawara Rin coughed up blood and dropped dead!
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Homelander: Founding the Hero Association
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone