While Yuuya and the others prepare for trans-dimensional invaders, in another world…
"──Begin."
Shu Zakuren, the "Katana Saint," quietly announced.
At Shu's command, a man wearing a silk hat took out a horn and blew it vigorously.
At that moment, an enormous surge of magic power spread out from the man's horn.
In the blink of an eye, the sound spread throughout the world, and people everywhere heard it.
"What is it? That sound…"
"Where is it coming from?"
"What is happening?"
The mysterious sound threw the inhabitants of the world into confusion.
Countries immediately mobilized their armies to find the source of the mysterious sound, but no one was able to locate Shu and his group.
Then, a huge image appeared in the sky above.
It was the image of Shu with an emotionless smile on his face.
"W-what!"
"Who the hell is that…?"
"Is it some kind of festival?"
To the people of the world who still did not understand what was happening, Shu quietly opened his mouth.
"Hello everyone; how are you? I am Katana Saint──Shu Zakuren."
The people who heard Shu's introduction widened their eyes.
"Katana Saint, you say… Is that the same as the Sword Saint, Iris-sama?"
"There are people like that…?"
The same 'Holy,' but unlike Iris, the existence of Shu, who rarely appeared in public, became known for the first time at this time.
At the same time, the mysterious sound and the fact that this image magic turned out to be from a being that was 'Holy' made the people watching the images let down their guard.
But…
"This is a bit sudden, but we have decided to take control of you, humanity."
The words were so abrupt that everyone was at a loss for words.
Of course, since it was visual magic, Shu himself could not see the scene.
"You must be confused by the suddenness of the situation. But you had plenty of time. And yet, it was you who did not change your ways. Therefore, this is a natural outcome."
"W-what is he talking about?"
"What does he mean by control?"
"I don't know, but he's joking, right?"
To the confusion of the people of the world, Shu continued.
"We, the 'Holy,' have been fighting with our lives against the 'Evil' and 'Evil Beasts' created by the negative aspects of humanity and have been protecting you. However, you did not pay attention to such things and fought among yourselves, and as a result, you spread negative feelings all over the world. You really are… stupid."
Shu's eyes were so ruthless that many people trembled under his gaze, even through the image.
"So… we will control it. We will control everything, from your emotions to everything else, to eliminate the reasons for the appearance of 'Evil' and 'Evil Beasts' from the very source. Do you understand?"
"Controlling emotions, you say…!"
"I would never submit to such a thing!"
"Where did that image come from?"
Naturally, people were outraged by Shu's remarks.
In some countries, there were even leaders who were ready to go and hunt down Shu and his group right now.
However, no one could locate Shu and his group.
Even the Sword Saint Iris and the others who were watching the images could not find them───.
"That guy… He really meant what he said back then…"
Iris looked at the giant image floating in the air as if she were staring at it.
Immediately after the Heavenly Sacred Festival ended, Iris and the others began working to stop Shu's actions.
(The sound that just echoed through the air must have been caused by the Sound Saint's Tone. Spreading sound all over the world and projecting images like that was…)
"The sound I heard at the Heavenly Sacred Festival did not seem to be able to spread sound and images all over the world. But the fact that the images were projected in this way suggests that he had hidden his abilities at that time as well".
Usagi and Odis analyzed the strength of Shu and his group while they watched the images that appeared.
"Odis, can you do the same to bring magic to the whole world?"
"Unfortunately, it's impossible. With the acquisition of 'Divine Authority,' I believe I have become more powerful than the other 'Holy,' but I still don't have the power to affect such a wide area with my magic."
"In other words, those guys are more powerful than us with our 'Divine Authority.' …How did they get such power, and what is that power anyway? I have many questions, but…"
(Hmph. If they had answered us obediently, they would have spoken up at the Heavenly Sacred Festival. But it doesn't matter how powerful they are. As 'Holy,' we are responsible for stopping them.)
"I agree. …I wonder if Gloria is okay?"
After the Heavenly Sacred Festival, Iris and the others parted ways with Gloria.
This was because Gloria had children to take care of, and she could not leave them alone.
"Gloria is strong enough, so we don't have to worry about her."
(We need to stop them quickly so we don't have to worry about that…)
"Fortunately, thanks to this magic, I was able to detect a faint flow of magic power. Now all we have to do is follow that magic…"
"Then let's get started!"
Usagi and Odis nodded at Iris' words, and the three of them started to search for Shu's whereabouts.
When Iris and the others started to move, Shu continued to speak.
"Whatever you say, this is our decision. We are only trying to eliminate the root of Evil in order to fulfill our duty as the Holy. Rest assured, once you are under our control, there will be no more conflict in the world. Everyone will live equally."
Shu's words sounded pleasant, but they were not something that people could accept.
However, in the country where this image was displayed, there were some people who welcomed the 'Holy' control because of the difficult situation they were already in.
"That's good, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes. The country will start a war on its own anyway, and the burden of the war will fall on us poor people. I will accept any kind of control as long as it means the end of the war."
Shu narrowed his eyes at the different opinions flying around the world.
"But if you don't agree with my ideas──you can disappear."
Through the image, Shu's tremendous intimidation covered the world.
The world was once again thrown into confusion by the sheer pressure.
"Listen, I'll repeat it; this is our decision. If you follow us and accept our control, we promise you peace. But if you interfere, we will discard you without mercy. This is absolutely necessary to prevent the emergence of Evil."
Shu, who had been radiating strong intimidation, relaxed his pressure after saying this and smiled again.
"Well, I've told you what I have to tell you. We will immediately move to control all of humanity. We look forward to seeing what decisions you will make…"
As he said this, the image that had been floating in the air disappeared.
For a few moments, the world fell silent.
The Katana Saint Shu Zakuren's declaration of control over all of humanity.
And the cleansing of those who do not fall under the control of the Katana Saint Shu Zakuren.
But one thing is certain: Shu is serious.
It is because he is serious that he has taken the form of a declaration of war to the world.
"Hmm… We just finished the royal congress, and now we have another problem…"
Of course, it was not only the general public that saw the images, but also the higher-ups in each country.
After watching the images, King Arnold of the Kingdom of Arcelia couldn't help but hold his head in his hands.
Then Owen, who was also watching the images, called out to him in a worried tone.
"Your Majesty…"
"Owen. How do you see what he just said?"
"I thought he was serious."
"Oh, right. It is serious and insane. Such as controlling the emotions of humanity…"
"First of all, is such a thing even possible?"
"It is possible; that's why he said it. However, the Katana Saint, huh…?"
"Are the Sword Saint Iris-dono and the others also on their side?"
"I don't know. But it is strange that she, who is known to be the strongest among the 'Holy,' is not shown in that image. Besides, there must be more people who would listen to what Iris-sama has to say than the man Shu who no one knows… considering her absence…"
"I see… that's also true…"
Arnold sighed.
"…Anyway, everything is unknown. I've never even heard of Katana Saint."
"Me neither."
"The Katana Saint must have tremendous skill with the katana, but this image is clearly a magic technique. And if the images are being spread around the world on such a large scale, it is possible that one of the Katana Saint's associates is skilled in magic."
Just like Iris and the others, Arnold deduced various information from Shu's images.
Then Owen asked with a serious look on his face.
"Your Majesty… What are you going to do now?"
"Of course, I can't accept such a proposition. However… the other party is a 'Holy.' Of course, it might be a lie to claim that he is the Katana Saint, but the fact remains that there are people on his side who are capable of activating magic to such an extent. Can we really compete with such people…?"
"I'm always ready to fight."
Arnold nodded at Owen, who straightened his back and put his hand on his chest.
"Yes. I'm counting on you. And I'm… also worried about the movements of the other countries."
"That's… But will they reject it as Your Majesty does…?"
In response to Owen's question, Arnold shook his head quietly.
"Sure, that would be normal… but in some countries, that's not the case. Fortunately, this country is not at war with any other country, but it would not be surprising if some citizens of war-torn countries agreed with Shu's words. And if more people agree with him, there might be a civil war… a revolution in that country!"
"What…!"
"Anyway, the best thing we can do is to prepare our forces for their attack."
"It's a good thing Lexia-sama isn't here."
"Yes. Even they would not be able to reach the other world. Besides, there is Yuuya-dono in that world."
"If only Yuuya-dono would come…"
"Don't say that. He has his own world──"
──In this way, the higher-ups in each country also began to move in response to the declaration of war by Shu and the others.
＊＊＊
In the pitch-black space, there are countless "worlds" covered with a transparent membrane like soap bubbles.
These bubbles are literally the crystallization of the worlds.
A universe, including galaxies and stars, is spread out in these small, confined membranes.
If a bubble were to burst, that world would end.
Such an impossible event happened here and there in space.
This place where many worlds were drifting was the space called──"Between Worlds."
Monsters lurk in such "between worlds."
Mysterious spherical life forms with countless tentacles, like sea anemones and mollusks, with the grotesque appearance of octopuses and squids.
These monsters crowded together and fought fiercely, sometimes destroying the surrounding bubble world.
Then a white beast walked gracefully through the desolate 'between worlds.'
It looked like a cat, its long, pure white fur shining in various colors.
"Meow."
The white cat showed no interest in the battle between the monsters nor in the bubbles crystallizing the world.
It simply walked with graceful steps through this space where the concept of time did not exist.
As usual, the white cat was strolling leisurely through "between worlds" when it suddenly noticed something and caught sight of a world.
It was a world of transparent cubes, different from the world of soap bubbles that had appeared in the 'between worlds' before he knew it.
There were countless such cubic worlds floating around, the one the white cat noticed is but one of many others.
"Meow?"
The white cat tilted its head as it had never seen such a strange world suddenly appearing in countless numbers before.
The reason why this cube-shaped world appeared was because the boundary between dimensions disappeared due to the influence of a false god, and Yuuya's world, which existed in another dimension, flowed into it.
Because of these events, the beings who had been using Yuuya from the parallel world as a pawn became aware of the existence of another dimension and decided to invade it.
However, the white cat was unaware of these circumstances and simply turned its eyes to the strange world that had suddenly appeared.
As it turned its space-like black eyes toward the cubic world, information about that world began to flow into the cat's brain.
Since there is no concept of time in "Between Worlds," the white cat could see from the oldest information in the world to the far future.
In the midst of all this, the white cat noticed a planet that existed within the cubic world.
The white cat did not know why it noticed the planet.
But as if attracted by something, its eyes were drawn to the planet.
The history of the planet flowed into the white cat's brain as images and finally stopped when it showed a young man.
It was the image of Yuuya before he set foot in the other world.