Days passed since then, the world outside was in an uproar but to Ivan and the others it was none of their concern.
The princess of Heiligh Kingdom had invited the group numerous times to honor them as heroes in front of the whole kingdom, something about festivities and celebrations was also said as well.
Even if she was the princess who had to look over the kingdom since the king's death, even if she was swamped with work regarding the kingdom and because of Ehit's death, she'd be a fool not to make a show of force using the heroes.
Of course she meant the people on scene, and not the 'heroes' who were blissfully within the kingdom with no idea that the war for the end of the world had started and ended.
"You went to fight the evil god and you didn't even invite us!?"
Ivan remembered those words quite vividly, especially when they came from someone who was usually regarded as the embodiment of level-mindedness. That person was Kouki.
Ivan had only teleported to the kingdom to deliver the news to the class as well as to tell them to meet at his shop in a week if they wanted to go home. Of course after Kouki's outburst everyone demanded Ivan to stay so he could explain himself, though their efforts were fruitless when Ivan went back into his portal and ignored their incredulous expressions.
Just thinking about the whole event brought a smirk to his face.
"What ya' smilin 'bout, boy~!"
Ivan's good mood was instantly broken as an exaggerated voice resounded from his side. 148cm in height, her long golden hair cascaded to her shoulders in twin tailed style drills. At the back of her head was the same golden hair held up in a ponytail tied together by a white ribbon with black outlines. From there it stopped just below her nape.
She had sky blue eyes and a rambunctious smile painted across her face, her eyes narrowed mischievously as she poked Ivan from the side.
"I was just thinking how lucky I am to be able to work side by side with one of the legendary Liberators." Ivan replied bitingly.
"Umu, umu, that's the correct answer, boy!"
Miledi Reisen, only this time she wasn't a little golem with a painted on smile. Inhabiting a body created by Ivan using alchemy, Miledi was able to guide Ivan into recreating her old body and succeeded in making a perfect replica.
She was even able to regain her proficiency in magic other than gravity magic as well.
'Fufufu~ You like what you see boy~?"
Miledi raised the hem of her black frilled but predominantly white skirt, doing a little spin as she put on a show for Ivan. The red frills attached to the black panels on her white corset swayed gently by the motions. A pretty red bow hung by her neck and if one looked down they would be met by the sight of her white stockings and the black garter belt straps that appeared between the gap of her stockings and skirt.
"Ah… I can't believe I invited another pervert to live with us…"
"What's there to be embarrassed about, boy? It's not like you didn't see my bare body when creating this vessel for me! Hehehe~!"
Miledi had no inhibitions toward giving some fanservice to the boy that made her current body. In fact she felt like it was the least she could do for him giving her another chance at life.
"I can only pray I'm not unleashing a worser being than Ehit upon Earth…"
To find a way back home, Ivan knew all he needed was concept magic. However, applying it into a way that would actually take the group to Earth was more vague than he thought it would be. So he consulted the only living being that had more experience with ancient magic than him.
And that's how he ended up recruiting Miledi. In exchange for a body and a chance to explore a world she's never been to before, Miledi would aid him in creating a portal to Earth.
"And there we go… that should do it, Ivan…" For the first time since the death of Ehit, Miledi had used a serious tone. Perspiration dripped from her face as she lifted a crystal key from Ivan's workbench.
"So that's it huh…"
It took the two a week, but they were finally able to create a tool that would allow them to traverse worlds safely.
"Now, let's see if it actually works."
Ivan took the key Miledi gently handed to him, he gripped it with two hands before holding it straight in front of him.
*WHOOOSH*
The key glowed a kaleidoscope of colors, the room spun as a ball of light appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room.
And then— a minute went by. The ball of light molded itself slowly into something resembling a door.
"That's—!"
Ivan exclaimed surprisedly, though the sight was one he hoped to see he didn't think they would be successful so quickly.
"It's Tokyo Tower!" His shout made Miledi jump.
"Is this Earth…?"
She stared at the scene in front of her with glittering eyes. Lights as far as her eyes could see, the streets bustling with people in peculiar clothing and vehicles she's never seen . Buildings towering over 90 percent of what she's ever seen in Tortus became commonplace.
Even just the sight of one city at night was enough to convince her what she was seeing was a totally different world.
[Everyone, come to Lab 9! Our experiments were a success!]
As soon as he transmitted those words through telepathy another portal opened up in the room. Yue, Tio, Felis, Canis, Claire, and Ari walked out of the portal as they all instantly locked eyes with the only other portal in the room.
"So this is your home…"
"Master's world…"
"Whoooooooooa~!"
"....."
"I-It's kind of intimidating…"
"Do we just walk in?"
Ivan nodded as if he were pleased by their reactions.
"Yep, this is Earth. 100 percent my Earth as well, the last thing I want happening is that we get stranded on another version of Earth. As for when we'll be leaving, I'm still waiting for my guests."
*DING-DONG*
"Ah, that must be them~"
A blue translucent hologram appeared in front of Ivan, on it was the image of a couple faces familiar to him.
[Lead them down here.]
Ivan had one of his droids escort the class to Lab 9.
Within 15 minutes they finally arrived.
"I-Is that?!"
"..."
Each of them immediately ran by Ivan before standing in front of the door-shaped portal. They instantly recognized the iconic tower that appeared before their eyes.
"Ivan is this…?"
Ivan turned to the incredulous voice beside him. He met the young boy head on before resting a palm on his shoulder. Then, his eyes trailed down as he looked to see whose fingers were interlocked with the boy's.
"Forget the portal back home, what I'm more concerned about are you two! Did ya' finally tie the knot!?"
Both Hajime and Kaori's faces became bright red, but eager to show their love to the world, the two shyly nodded.
"Hahaha! Excellent, excellent. You two should have told us sooner, then maybe we might've showed up to that party to celebrate~!"
Ivan looked away from the couple for a second to take a peek at the 'Hero', and as he expected the boy seemed quite peeved at the two's affectionate relationship.
'Good luck, Hajime. Life is going to be tough for you even back in our world…"
Ivan sent his condolences to the blissfully unaware boy.
"Now, I take it we've all said our goodbyes to the people of this world. Ah, don't worry about parting forever. So long as this key exists we could return anytime we want! After all, even a few people in my group still have some responsibilities left over in this world!"
Ivan winked to Tio, who was initially worried about how her clan would fare without her before being told the circumstances by Ivan.
"U-Um, Ivan-kun. Before we go… I just want to thank you for everything. I knew it'd weigh heavily on the mind of these children if we just left this world to its fate. But thanks to you we can leave in solace knowing that this world is now in the hands of its people. As your teacher I know I shouldn't have allowed you to bear these responsibilities, but to be honest, I'm glad that it was you…"
"....."
Ivan had no idea what to say in response to his overly earnest teacher. In a situation like this what it be appropriate for him to answer that the only reason he went after Ehit was to fulfill his word to Tio and Yue?
Probably not.
So without uttering a single word Ivan left his right foot as he gently pushed her through the portal.
"Eh—?"
"Huh—?"
Aiko's incredulous cry was met by the students' dumbfounded expressions.
"Alright, who's next?! Anyone who doesn't go through is gonna meet the end of my boot so get on movin'!"
"W-W-WAIT, IVAN! I—"
*BAM*
"K-Kouki…"
Kouki's best friend let out a worried sigh before jumping through the portal himself. The rest of the class followed suit, afraid of being kicked by the spike at the end of Ivan's boot.
The last people to go were Hajime and Kaori. The two looked at the group before smiling.
"See you guys on the other side!"
And with some pep in their steps they were absorbed by the portal.
"....."
Silence pervaded the room. This was it, the end of their adventure. The group each closed their eyes as bittersweet memories of everything they went through flashed through their minds. For Miledi, it was the memories she had with the Liberators before she was forced into hiding.
For Ivan, the most important day to him was the days Felis and Canis were born.
For Yue, it was her first meeting with Ivan deep in the Abyss, even if he was slightly unhinged at the time, it was despite that craziness that he still decided to save her that moved her.
For Claire, she remembered everything building up to Ivan's supposed 'death'. The conversations they had, the long nights they spent making potions or sorting shipments, and finally their meeting afterward.
Tio's fondest memory was having her feelings accepted by her Master. That day the two kissed would become one she could never forget.
Ari remembered the day she was freed from the slavery ring. Even if Ivan rescued her as a by-product of him wanting to rescue some kids, it was still a memory she held to her heart.
And for Felis and Canis… it would be the day they accepted their father into their hearts. When they were created they were blinded by the monstrous instincts inside their souls, but even when they clawed or scratched at them, their father still gave them a chance to become family. And for that they were eternally grateful, because if that didn't happen they would have never experienced the things they went through up until this point. To them, this was their first and greatest adventure.
"So this is it huh… the end of the line…"
Ivan sighed wistfully, when he opened his eyes he was greeted by the sight of the others doing the same as well.
"Mn… I'm going to miss this place." Yue responded with a slightly saddened expression.
"Heh, didn't you hear what I said? We can come back anytime. Just because we're going somewhere new doesn't mean the adventure ends there. Hell no, it means exactly that the adventure will wait for us! It'll wait for the day we're ready to pick it back up."
Yue nodded before entagling her fingers with Ivan's. Ivan smiled softly before entangling him with the person right beside him, Tio.
The chain continued, and the group was all interlocked with each other.
And just like how they had traversed through portals in the dungeon, they all entered the portal together.
Their hands connected, and brave smiles painted their faces. All as they were consumed by the light.
[THE END]
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If you want to support me please follow this link! There are a couple of new links added~: https://linktr.ee/ardoaleister
FINISSSSSSSHHHHHEDDDDD!!!
Phew, I'm glad I got that out of my system. This one took a fairly long amount of time to write. It's not exactly stellar but the ending I wanted to give nonetheless. Nothing crazy or exciting, just the end of a journey.
So... uh, thanks! It's been over half a year since I started writing, 9 months to be exact. (I started writing in December but began uploading January 1st) There have been times where I've gotten frustrated, especially near the end, but I'm glad those of you who've made it this far stood beside me till now.
Around the mid-point I could tell the fic was flopping, It went from getting around 100 stones a week to (current day) where we now struggle to get even 25. I'd like everyone's feedback if they took the time to give their thoughts about this story. Where could it improve? Was there a point you wanted to drop it? If so on what chapter and why?
You know, stuff like that.
Here's a sneak peek toward the future, I have a couple ideas and I want you guys to decide what you want to see. This is mostly to gauge interest. The top two voted will be the most likely ones that I begin working on, though there's a good chance I work on all of these eventually. You guys will have to come to a decision based on these title's alone, though I'll give a brief synopsis on each one. Here they are:
1. My Brother Is A Multiverse Hitman
-Base world is To Love-Ru mixed with other works like Persona 5 Royal , Detective Conan, Magic Kaito, etc. World hopping will also be a thing. (Possible Worlds: Familiar of Zero, Fate/Stay Night, Magi, Tokyo Ghoul, Danmachi, etc.)
2. Marvel: I am a Cat
-You can probably guess by the title. It will implement MCU movies and shows. (Shows Including: Daredevil, Punisher, Luke Cage, etc.)
3. Fate/Unlimited Worlds
-A story focusing around the events of Fate/Grand Order but with world hopping elements. Slight spoiler, the MC is not a reincarnate or transmigrator. (Possible Worlds: Sword Art Online, Konosuba, Re: Zero, Gintama, etc.) Recommended works are appreciated!
4. In One Piece with Bending Arts
-I should probably work on the title. But to explain it is taking place in the world of One Piece, the protagonist will be someone who has seen the anime/manga and must start from the very basics of Avatar's bending arts. Though the MC will not be the Avatar, he will be able to use every bending type with enough practice.
5. A Vampire's World Ending Group Chat
-Base world is the Monogatari Series, there will only be a slight crossover with a doujin I like featuring the vampire Yupiel. (Possible Starting Group Chat Members: Sakata Gintoki, Inori Yuzuriha, Sakunosuke Oda, Wendy Marvell, Tsunade Senju, Kotomine Kirei, Ikaros)
6. Out of Time
-This one is slightly unique, it takes place with the MC at the age of 11 all the way to his death. A main component will be a niche game I love but many people don't know about, probably because it's an eroge. Though it will only take up the beginning of the story. (Works Included: Persona 4 Golden, Higurashi, Persona 5 Royal, Detective Conan, High School DXD, Magic Kaito, Heaven's Lost Property, Durarara, etc.)
That is all for now. I am currently running low on time. So as always, thanks for reading! You all better have a great evening~ And I hope to see you all soon, see you guys on the other side~!
If you want to support me and read ahead 10-15 chapters, you can check out my p.a.t.r.e.o.n right here: https://bit.ly/ardoaleister
Discord: https://discord.gg/tQ5TWbYd9t