Riku looked at Ren Isana with eyes full of confusion. Who was this man? And what was the deal with that Flügel? He observed Ren silently, forming a guess in his heart.
The person before him seemed completely out of place in this world. Whether it was his clothing or his aura, he was fundamentally different from anyone born here.
In this world, humans were consumed by the struggle for survival, their expressions usually vacant or numb. However, Ren Isana showed no such desperation. He looked upon his surroundings with nothing but curiosity, seemingly without a care in the world.
"Who are you?" Riku asked, though his heart was filled with doubt. Who was this person? Where did he come from?
"Riku, he is a human. He says he came from the future," Schwi explained, stating Ren Isana's identity. It was now up to Riku to judge the validity of that claim.
"That's right. I was entrusted by a god from the future to come here!" Ren Isana spoke calmly. He mentioned the matter of Tet, the future God of Games, repeating what he had already told Schwi.
After he finished speaking, Riku was stunned. He looked up and stared intently at Ren Isana. "The God of Games? So... she really does exist!"
Furthermore, that god was born because of him. In Ren Isana's words, that god could be considered the child of him and Schwi. It was a truly subtle feeling.
"Indeed. He was born the moment you touched the Star Cup and died. My purpose in coming here is simple: to take you and Schwi away before you meet your end!" Ren Isana watched Riku quietly after speaking.
Now that Riku knew what the future held, what kind of arrangements would he make? Ren Isana was quite looking forward to it. Would Riku proceed as he originally had, or would he make a new decision?
Riku remained silent for a long time. He looked down at his hands. He had succeeded. To ensure his people survived, everything he had done was not in vain, even if the price was his own death.
And Schwi... if Ren Isana hadn't appeared, she would have died in this upcoming battle against the Flügel. Riku looked down at the small figure beside him.
"Riku..." Sensing his gaze, Schwi turned and tightly gripped his arm, her eyes filled with concern as she called his name.
"I'm fine, Schwi!" Riku gently patted her mechanical arm, then looked up at Ren Isana. At this moment, his gaze had become completely firm.
"I don't sense any lies in your words, which means what you say is true. But I have one question: In the future, do humans possess the power to defeat the other races?" Riku locked eyes with Ren Isana.
He wanted an answer. Knowing that Ren Isana had defeated a Flügel, his heart was incredibly shaken. Could future humans already control spirits?
Ren Isana shook his head and spoke with a slight smile. "Not quite. I am not from this world. In the world I come from, humans are the dominant species. While the humans of this world's future have gained their own status, they still do not possess great power."
Hearing this, Riku was momentarily stunned. He looked at Ren Isana with confusion. "Not from our world?"
He wondered if he had misheard. This man said he wasn't from this world? Riku was completely bewildered.
"That's right. I'm not from this world. However, your world will connect with mine in the future. Because of that connection, I was invited to come here," Ren Isana explained the relationship.
Riku was thoroughly shocked after hearing Ren Isana's explanation. Schwi was equally stunned. She performed a quick calculation, comparing the data from Ren Isana's previous battle, and confirmed his statement.
"His [Magic Power] is completely different from what exists in our world, so his words are true!" Schwi announced the result of her calculations.
Hearing Schwi's confirmation, Riku took a deep breath. He nodded, his eyes bright as he looked at Ren Isana. "If our world connects with yours, will humans receive help?" Riku asked with burning intensity.
Ren Isana was surprised by the question Riku prioritized, but he quickly smiled. He nodded and said, "To all humans who are friendly toward other worlds, our side treats them all the same!"
As those words fell, Riku stood up, the smile on his face growing even more radiant. That sentence alone was enough. Even if it was in the future, if that was the case, then this war had to be won no matter what!
Although he had technically won in the original timeline, a variable had now appeared. With the appearance of one variable, more would surely follow. He understood this much.
"Since you were specifically entrusted to bail us out, that means you'll be helping us, right?" Riku's gaze fixed directly on Ren Isana, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes.
Ren Isana blinked, then laughed. He said nonchalantly, "Of course. Since I'm here, I'll naturally help you. After all, I'm already here, and as a fellow human, how could I just stand by and watch?"
*Riku, you're even trying to calculate me? You really are something else. But that's fine; I'm here to grow anyway!*
"Good, thank you for your help. Then I have one more question. How strong exactly are you?" Riku asked, getting straight to the most critical point.
Sometimes, individual strength was extremely important. He needed to know Ren Isana's power clearly, as their opponents were quite over-the-top.
"I'm not that strong yet, just enough to get by. But if you give me some time, I can become much stronger. At the very least, I should be able to catch up to the God of War. My talent is [Jianjigu]—I can learn everything I see!" Ren Isana roughly understood what the man was getting at.
Was Riku thinking of having him fight the God of War? Well, it didn't matter. Since he was already here, why not have a go at that God of War? A god was still just a god, and as a God Slayer, Ren Isana was equally fearless.
"[Jianjigu]... I see. I understand. If possible, please increase your strength as much as you can. I will create the time for you. You can learn anything you see, right? Then let us set the flames of war across the entire world once more!" A flash of madness danced in Riku's eyes.
War was the best learning ground. If the hatred between the various races exploded completely, they would do everything in their power to annihilate one another, using every means at their disposal.
Under those circumstances, Ren Isana would be able to learn and grow stronger more effectively. Of course, Riku wouldn't pin all his hopes on Ren Isana alone; he needed to make several other preparations as well.
Ren Isana looked at Riku, speaking with a heart full of anticipation. "Tell me your plan. You can already mobilize the full strength of the Ex-Machina."
Riku nodded at Ren Isana's words. He looked up at the chessboard in his room and spoke slowly. "The greatest enemies outside are the Flügel and the God of War. Similarly, the other races have deep-seated hatred for one another. Before we confront the Flügel, we'll eliminate the races that aren't on our side!"
Eliminate the restless races and unite with any potential allies to trigger a massive war, allowing Ren Isana to benefit from the conflict while dragging the Flügel down with them, creating a scene where the great war restarted.
Riku began to lay out every part of the plan he had devised. It was similar to the original story, but this time it included plans to purge other troublesome races.
After listening to Riku's arrangements, Ren Isana nodded. "Fine, we'll do as you say. As soon as the war breaks out, I'll use [Jianjigu] to learn like crazy. As for the Flügel's techniques... don't we have a little cutie right here? Lil' Jilly, you'll teach me all the Flügel's moves, won't you?"
Ren Isana's gaze shifted to Jibril, who was currently lying on the ground pretending to be unconscious. This girl had long since woken up and had even overheard his entire conversation with Riku.
Hearing Ren Isana's words, Riku's gaze also shifted over. This was the one who had almost killed Schwi... Riku watched Jibril quietly, his eyes showing no emotion. No one knew what he was thinking.
Jibril's body stiffened. Knowing she couldn't keep up the act, she simply stopped pretending. She sat up directly on the ground and let out a cold snort, speaking with immense arrogance. "A mere monkey..."
"Beatrice, come out for a moment!" Ren Isana forcefully interrupted her, calling out suddenly. His words left everyone in the room stunned.
There was someone else here? Schwi's eyes scanned the surroundings, a look of confusion flashing in them. Her data showed no traces of other life forms nearby!
However, she quickly found out where the person was coming from. As Ren Isana's voice fell, Beatrice emerged from his chest and landed softly on the ground.
"What do you want me to do?" Beatrice glanced around, her gaze lingering on the people in the room. She couldn't help but look at Schwi a few extra times before finally turning to Ren Isana.
Ren Isana rarely called her out. Usually, she came out when she wanted to, and if she didn't want to, he wouldn't force her. He would only occasionally tuck various foods into the space for her.
She had been living quite happily lately, tasting all sorts of delicious things she had never eaten before. If she weren't a spirit, she probably would have grown fat by now!
"Drag this one inside and squeeze out all the knowledge she possesses. This girl has bombed quite a few races in this world and plundered a massive amount of knowledge!" Ren Isana assigned the task to Beatrice.
Hearing this, Beatrice's interest was immediately piqued. Her gaze shifted to Jibril, who was even shorter than she was. A look of pure joy appeared on her face as she smiled. "Leave it to Betty. Betty will make her spit out every bit of knowledge she has!"
Without another word, she impatiently grabbed Jibril and dove back into Ren Isana's heart space. Riku, who had watched the entire scene, was somewhat dazed. He looked at Ren Isana as if he were a kindred spirit and asked, "So you like the little ones too?"