"There are some pesky ones."
After "kidnapping" Filvis, I made a smooth escape from their familia home. However, it is merely the beginning. There could be adventurers who could see through this illusory domain.
Hence, some measures have to be done.
"Queastum ad astra." (Reach to the stars.)
The electromagnetic field was twisted by the spell. The gravitational pull lost its influence. It is all up to me to maneuver mid-air—which I did.
I had the time to examine Filvis' state. She could be mistaken as a monster if people see her now. However, she wasn't like this in the past. There should be something that could be done to conceal this.
'That damn Dionysus…'
Other than that damn dragon and volcano curse, there's a new entry to my hit list. Luckily, Dionysus is far closer than those two. He might be Enyo, but he's not that strong individually. I could kill him right now, but I prefer to solve the Demi-spirits first. I need to lessen its impact, too. It's not like a god's death could be hidden.
Soon, I arrived at our familia home.
There weren't any people here as usual—except for Hephaestus-sama. She greeted me right when I entered.
"From what I'm seeing, you succeeded?"
"Well… I did."
I briefly told her about this "kidnapping" plan. I confessed what I knew about the future. That included the matter with Dionysus. When she heard about it, the temperature in her office dropped sharply. From then on, she harbored hatred for Dionysus. She never expected that the kind-looking god could do such things, though she seemed angry the most due to my death.
If I didn't prevent her from raiding Dionysus' home, she would've ordered Tsubaki to forgo all rules and aim for him. It took half an hour of convincing before she calmed down.
"She is a creature?" She asked.
"That's right. It's… It's how I looked in the future."
"...I see."
She went silent after seeing Filvis. Her thoughts are difficult to guess when she's this serious. Though, I feel it has something to do with the future I saw.
"What are you planning to do with her?"
"She needs to rest. I will figure out the rest later with my magic."
Among the spell systems I know, a few involve healing and anti-corruption. I'll see to it if something works.
"If I have my stuff back there…"
*****
{Tch..!}
"You can sneeze..?"
The bewildered Suimei looked at the holographic diva.
{It was added in the patch version 3.9. Goshujin-sama said "it was to make you human".}
"Miku. How long are you with him?"
Currently, the Yakagi duo is in the Akasaka household. After many deliberations, Kazamitsu decided to tell Nobu's parents about everything. As a parent, he knows how worried he would be to find out about their son's disappearance.
{Since the beginning. My main purpose is to assist goshujin-sama in his experiments and operate the satellite codenamed "Arbiter".}
"Even Arbiter is related too?!" Seiji muttered. "How much is that kid hiding from us…"
"It is a choice made for your safety, Seiji-san. Nobu made sure to not expose you to the supernatural side to avoid danger."
"It's just…" Seiji sighed.
"Fu…"
Akasaka Eri opened her eyes after a deep breath. She was done processing everything.
"From what I can surmise, there is a hidden supernatural side and Nobu is a part of it, correct?"
"Yes." Kazamitsu responded.
"Now, he is missing and went to another world just like the books Seiji is reading?"
"That's right."
"When will he return?"
Eri went straight to the point. Her professional side calmed her down, unlike Seiji who briefly lost his composure.
"It is unknown. However, we are already making progress on locating him."
Miku propped up a series of numbers to back him up.
{Half of the overall processing power is currently used to deduce goshujin-sama's coordinates.}
From the traces that Kazamitsu got, Miku did not need to start from scratch. Her progress rate immediately shot up to 2.54%. With the usable supercomputers, she could do such a tremendous task—something even Magisters didn't do yet.
(A/N: Magisters is the official title for the strongest magicians like Suimei and his father Kazamitsu. They are equivalent to Special-grade Sorcerers.)
"When will you complete it?" Seiji asked.
{The completion rate is estimated to be completed in less than five years.}
"Five years?!"
Seiji knows about Nobu being a prodigy. He is someone who became a doctorate at twelve years old. Even so, he could not imagine his son surviving that long in an unknown land.
His inability to help his son made him sink further.
"Is there a way to complete it faster?"
Fortunately, Eri kept her composure in this moment. She could cry later, but not now—not when she needs to sort this situation out.
{Yes. If my processing power increases, it could be reduced.}
"List all the owned compounds in Japan. Build every single supercomputer on each of them."
{Diagnosing current authority… Passed.}
{Affirmative. A project will be started.}
At this moment, the three went silent at Eri's composure. Even Kazamitsu was surprised by Eri's charisma and ability to accept everything as it is.
"Thank you for informing us, Kazamitsu-san."
Her golden pupils glinted with strong determination.
"No problem. I will also help with the search."
The couple doesn't know much about Kazamitsu, but he is a magician who stood at the peak. His networks are extremely vast, to the point he could pitch in several magician organizations' help. He could contact the "Akashic Seer", too.
"Father… Will Nobu be alright?" Suimei asked.
"If it's him… He will be."
That was the answer that needed him to calm down. Eri and Seiji heard it, which gave them more hope.
"Not to mention his extensive knowledge, just that power is enough to guarantee his survival."
Kazamitsu recalled Nobu's power that pulled him out of death. He also has his magic system which he playfully dubbed "Akasaka System". It bypasses many problems that modern magic theory has such as [Mystical Entropy], cast time, output, and so on.
"Let's trust him."
…
At the same time as their discussion, Miku called another helper.
Ring-!
"Hm? Who is it…"
A blindfolded man answered his phone call.
"Hello?"
"Greetings."
"Oh, jou-chan! Don't tell me that kid's pushing me to work again."
"It is not like that this time."
In the past, Nobu "contacted" him overseas. He would give his research findings on cursed energy in exchange for some things. Those findings could easily progress the Sorcerer Society by a few decades.
The man easily memorized and deduced them, but he kept his promise. However, one of those things was not in the place he stored it—which led to him owing Nobu a few favors.
"Phew. What was it, then?"
"Goshujin-sama went missing."
"Missing? And you couldn't find him?"
An interest was sparked in the man. He knows Nobu's capabilities. He even found him when that overseas mission was supposed to be confidential.
"He's not in this world."
"Hoh… That sounds like trouble. If you're asking for my help, there's not much I can do. I don't know much about magic."
In the first place, the man is not a magician but—
"You might be able to help, Satoru-san."
—the strongest Sorcerer in the world.
*****
Nothing worked.
Unlike the nature of curses, Filvis' condition is different. Due to the spirit core, her body considers the branches as a part of her body. It does not perceive them as external factors.
"Do I need to wait until my next chance?"
"...saka-san."
"..!"
I did not notice Filvis waking up.
"Uhm…"
Silence permeated between us.
"Why did you—?"
"Remember our agreement?" I asked rhetorically.
"Agreement..? Ah, is it the one where we would meet a day later?"
"That's right. You didn't show up after a week. I couldn't even visit you at your home."
"So, you broke into my room?"
"I did what I need to." I shrugged. "When I saw your dark room, I thought you were about to do the unspeakable. That's why I rushed in."
She remained silent upon hearing it.
"Why… Why would you go that far for me? I-I'm just a monster… a person who let herself be corrupted while her comrades died."
Miss Filvis possesses a survivor's guilt along with the apprehension of her monstrous self. It is what I surmised from those future memories.
"As I've said, you're not a monster. You're far more beautiful than those who hide their monstrosity."
Several beautiful women in my world are evil. The members of those [Greed of Ten] as well as the likes of Valletta Grede belong to that group.
I would rather have Filvis-san on my side than those fuckers.
"Also, I did not have many chances to act like a hero, you know? I have to see you're doing well after I saved you in the dungeon."
"..!"
She hung her head down. I couldn't see her expression until I heard a chortle of laughter.
"You really are different… Akasaka-san."
For the first time, I saw her smile. It is charming despite her current appearance. Was it her aura? Suddenly—
'That's…'
—it formed a contrast with her future self. She was always covered in gloom back then.
I prefer her bright self more.
Click-!
Hephaestus-sama entered the room. Filvis looked a bit uncomfortable with her entry.
"There's no need to worry. Nobu-kun told me about this. You are free to live here."
"Thank you… Hephaestus-sama."
She bowed her head to further show her gratitude.
"Now we're here, how about you join our familia temporarily?" She said before looking at me. "He said that you might be able to return to your previous appearance with falna."
"Join… your familia? But..."
"You're wondering about Dionysus' blessing?" Hephaestus-sama asked. "You don't have to worry. You don't have his falna on you."
"Wh…at..?"
When an adventurer dies, their connection with their god gets severed. It is as if their falna is locked. However, creatures could get resurrected. This circumvents the said rule.
Then again, creatures lose the ability to gather excelia. Even if they regain their falna, it only unseals their skills, developmental abilities, magic, and prior status (previous strength). In my case, everything showed up as Lv.000 and I000 in all five attributes.
"I could give you my falna right now."
"..."
In the end, Filvis-san accepted it. Hephaestus-sama saw the status I had back then. That included the [Monstrum Union] skill—the bug on her status.
"Magic?"
She managed to acquire a new magic.
"It could create a clone of yourself. The downside is your status being halved."
"Huh..?!"
When she ended up trying to use it, an unexpected change occurred.
"Ah?"
"Ah?!"
"What…"
Firstly, Filvis-san's "monster" characteristics receded. She returned to her previous appearance. Secondly, another "Miss Filvis" appeared on the bed. She has the same looks as her—but without her clothes.
Bam-!
""Akasaka-san!""
"Nobu-kun!"
I fell on my chair backward. Still, it did not prevent those vivid images. Her pale white skin...
"The Bodhisattva of Compassion, when he meditated deeply, saw the five saw the emptiness of all five skandhas…"
"Are you alright?!"
The naked Filvis-san tried to approach me. I saw a portion of her body again when I tried to stand up. I swiftly closed my eyes.
"All things are by nature void, they are not created nor destroyed…"
"...me clothes first!"
The other Filvis-san reprimanded the naked Filvis-san. While they quarreled, I felt Hephaestus-sama grabbing my hand and leading me outside.
"No peeking, alright?"
"Yes."
My Heart Sutra was interrupted by her words.
"I will grab a change of clothes for her."
Due to this event, I remembered another memory. Lady Artemis' slender b—
"All the Buddhas of past and present; Buddhas of future time; Using this prajna wisdom…"
I could not stop chanting.
*****
Two days had passed since the Dionysus Familia incident.
Seeing how we weren't even suspected, I could say that my clean-up had been successful. Dionysus couldn't find something that would point to me.
Clang-!
Clang-!
The power behind each strike numbed my hand. With all the faints scattered in my attacks, Wallenstein-san began grasping the essence of my techniques.
From her hapless attacks, she could now see her "purpose" clearer. Against humans, a single debilitating strike is enough.
'There..!'
Sou-!
I barely avoided a sword strike. In turn, I gained a chance for a counterattack.
Sou-!
Screech-!
The tip of my blade reached her breastplate. It marked the end of our spar.
"Hah… Hah… It's still… too soon… fighting with you…"
However, my body liked it much. The reflexes ingrained in my body could showcase themselves once more. The constant tension I felt in my world was gone, simply because I could fight like this. I felt liberated.
"How did you do it?"
I could at least land a hit that evaded her senses every day. The multi-layered faints and unpredictable behavior allowed me to do so—even if her senses are insane.
"You should always think outside the box. I knew you would consider the double and triple faint, but it could also be a simple attack."
After getting accustomed to my trickiness, Wallenstein-san began "overthinking". It works with her split-second senses, but it won't do with enemies of a similar level.
"Hm…"
I could see her troubled look. I sympathized since I went through the same thing in the past.
'How does this make sense?'
'Swordsmanship has its limits, its range.'
'All qualified swordsmen strike outside their range? What in the world—?'
'If any of these faints could be real, what should I do?!'
From all my experiences and the guidance I received, I found my answer:
Bam-!
She deftly dodged the invisible bullet. She wore a "confused" expression but I proceeded to my weapon case.
I took out my gun and pointed it at her. Of course, it has its safety on. Even so...
"..!"
Her body instantly tensed up. I couldn't see it on her face, but her body language said so.
I lowered my gun.
"Why did you react like that?"
"It's dangerous."
She is right. Valletta sacrificed an arm to block a direct hit from these bullets. It shows how level five could feel threatened with the twelve spells inside the gun.
"How did you know?"
"That…"
She couldn't answer immediately.
"...because I felt it."
"Precisely. I prefer to call that 'sixth sense'."
If there's one thing I fully inherited from my future selves, it is this. It is so sharp that I could prolong my life in front of that dragon. Then again, my body couldn't catch up. Only now did its brilliance shine.
Along with my 'bloodlust' and 'willpower', I completely inherited the 'sixth sense' developed throughout eight lives.
"It should answer your dilemma."
"Huh—?"
I hope this curiosity could boost the effect of tomorrow's lesson.
"Let's go, Lili. I still have something to talk about with you."
"Y-yes!"
*****
'That sharpness…'
Aiz is bewildered. How could she get hit by a level two adventurer? Despite the magic he uses to strengthen his body, a level four shouldn't be able to react to that extent.
Nevertheless, Nobu did it. The culmination of his eight iterations' worth of combat experiences against monstrous beings allowed him to do so. In the eyes of Aiz, his performance was nothing short of impossible.
"Is this his secret to his strength..?"
At first, she wanted to meet her "kindred". She wanted to know more about the person whose hatred for dragons is the same as her. But then, it changed into her interest in his strength—his secret, to be exact.
Aiz wanted to learn from him. She wanted to become even stronger. It is why she kept sparring every day. While she did feel guilty, her desire for power overwhelmed it.
"Sixth sense…"
Nobu left without giving a concrete answer. It forced Aiz to think of it herself. This is intentional as it creates 'larger' satisfaction to reach the answer themselves.
"Captain's thumb..?"
That "feeling" is similar to her captain's intuition. For Finn, the danger is converted into his thumb aching.
"Is it like that? Sixth sense?"
Aiz felt she was closer to the answer. Immediately, she went back to Twilight Manor. She climbed over the walls and headed to Finn's office.
"Sixth sense? Where did you hear this?"
"Sirius."
"Tenkou? I see…"
Finn began explaining it.
"Loki-sama used to describe my thumb as such. It goes something along the lines of 'prematurely detecting danger and potential harm upon myself'."
"Did you use it for battles?"
"Of course."
"What about swift clashes?"
Aiz's excitement peaked. Her captain's answer will determine whether it is the one she seeks.
"No. By the time I felt it, a second would've passed. It will be a fatal gap in a fight."
Finn's intuition worked on pre-battle scenarios. He could sense if something was not right—or when their opponents prepared something else that will turn the tides.
If one could utilize such power during swift clashes, they would become stronger.
"That's it."
Just as her childish inner self jumped in delight, she realized another dilemma.
'How do I get it?'
Aiz came to a conclusion: battles.
"Aiz?"
On this day, Finn felt a potential headache brewing.
*****
A/N: Yes, Aiz is similar to a certain white-haired swordsman wielding a katana named 'Yamato'. She trained Bell in canon to learn the secret behind his strength due to her obsession, or rather hatred to the One-eyed Black Dragon. I just thought it's quite funny to see a part of her personality overlap with that swordsman...