Roughly half an hour earlier.
In the Special Region—
A convoy of six carriages and nineteen people, under the guard of about fifty auxiliary soldiers, slowly approached the northern-facing encampment at Alnus Hill.
This "delegation" consisted of the demigod Rory Mercury, the demigod Mabel Forn, and two others—each accompanied by five church apostles.
Alongside them came the Sage Cato, his disciple Lelei, and five master-class magicians, representing the city of Rondel.
Upon arriving here, Rory, Cato, and Lelei remained relatively composed. But Mabel Forn—witnessing a modern army for the very first time—along with the apostles and magicians, could not conceal the curiosity and astonishment in their eyes.
The group left the prohibited carriages outside the camp, posting two guards from each faction to watch over them.
Then, following the auxiliary corps personnel who had come to receive them, they passed in quick succession through the orderly, sternly disciplined camp until they reached a three-story gray stone building.
"I am Lieutenant Colonel Bradley, commander of the 1st Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the 2nd Auxiliary Army. This is Aburame Shibi, Jōnin of Umigakure. The two of us will be presiding over this meeting."
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley introduced himself calmly, his gaze sweeping across the delegation with steady composure, his voice unhurried and even.
At last, his eyes settled on the blue-haired girl holding a wave-shaped sapphire staff.
Sure enough, once she finished listening, she began translating his words into Falmart tongue for the others.
Then, the black-haired girl in a black-and-red Gothic dress, holding a silver-violet poleaxe, spoke two sentences to her.
Seeing this, Lieutenant Colonel Bradley allowed a faint, satisfied smile to surface.
A talent indeed.
"This is Her Holiness Rory, Her Holiness Mabel, and my teacher, Sage Cato. They are—"
Lelei first gave a detailed introduction of the three, then emphasized once more the purpose of their visit.
"Good. Then let's go inside and continue. Please."
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley nodded.
But just as he was about to turn toward the entrance, Lelei spoke again: "Before that, Her Holiness Rory requests that you send someone to receive the gift our gods have prepared for the World Government. It is in the sixth carriage."
"Of course, no problem."
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley agreed indifferently, immediately ordering a nearby soldier to carry it out.
Before long—
Everyone entered the third-floor conference room, taking their places along the long table on either side.
Thus began the first formal meeting between the two sides.
Rory was the first to speak, condemning the World Government for sending forces into this world without permission, and for launching the initial assaults against the Empire and the city of Rondel, causing heavy casualties among the innocent.
But Lieutenant Colonel Bradley replied that the very purpose of the World Government was to conquer this world.
Thus, these actions were deemed normal and reasonable.
Next, they pointed out that the Empire itself had previously dispatched troops to slaughter the residents of Ginza on the other side of the "Gate."
"Her Holiness Rory says that the World Government cannot possibly conquer this world, for the continent of Falmart is ruled by the gods. However, the gods are willing to engage in cooperation and trade with the World Government in various fields."
Lelei stood at the side, translating in her soft voice.
"Whether it's possible or not—you only know after trying. Up to now, the World Government has already conquered six worlds."
"The 'Nuclear World' beyond the Gate will soon become the seventh. So what makes you think your side won't be the eighth?"
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley gave a faint smile.
Sitting beside him, Aburame Shibi remained silent throughout, wearing his dark sunglasses.
Expressionless, Lelei translated for Rory and the others.
"Her Holiness Mabel says that the worlds you conquered before likely had no gods, correct?"
"But in our world, there exist eleven chief gods—powers absolutely beyond the reach of mortals. Not even your generals could compare!"
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley was about to reply when Aburame Shibi suddenly spoke:
"Why do you believe our generals are no match for you? Do you have any evidence—or is it nothing more than speculation?"
"Her Holiness Mabel says that the 'Goddess of the Sun and Light,' Flare, has already seen your Azure Dragon General in battle against Uchiha Madara. She declared that while the two possessed considerable strength, they were still far from reaching the realm of the gods."
So Lelei translated.
But these words made Aburame Shibi, Lieutenant Colonel Bradley, and the three Chūnin standing behind them all turn pale.
"Heh… if that's truly the case, then why bother with negotiations? Why talk of cooperation and trade? Why not simply strike us down directly?"
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley suppressed his shock, forcing a mocking smile as he countered.
"Her Holiness Rory says it is because the gods are merciful. They have no interest in invading other worlds."
"For thousands of years, whenever the 'Gate' opened, they merely waited passively for willing races from other realms to come and settle here."
"The purpose has always been to make this world more prosperous. Their hope in seeking cooperation with your side this time is no different."
"As for the Imperial troops massacring the Japanese civilians—that was entirely the Empire's own decision, and had nothing to do with the chief gods."
Lelei translated once again.
Then, on her own initiative, she recited the history of the Falmart continent.
After listening, Lieutenant Colonel Bradley and Aburame Shibi exchanged bewildered looks.
Every few centuries the "Gate of Time and Space" opened, waiting for civilizations from other worlds to enter—yet they had never once actively invaded another world?
Why did that sound so strange?
"Her Holiness Rory Mercury says there is a second reason your side cannot conquer this world."
At that moment, Lelei spoke again: "The authority over the 'Gate' rests in the gods' hands. They can open or close it at will."
"And each time, its maximum duration is one year. That is because while the Gate remains open, constant earthquakes are produced in both worlds. Once it exceeds the limit, the two worlds will completely collapse and be destroyed."
"Hah?"
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley stared at Lelei in astonishment.
That the gods controlled the Gate—they had already expected as much.
But that opening it would generate earthquakes, and that it could only remain active for at most a year—that was utterly bizarre.
He had thought this "Gate" was the same as the "Dimensional Gate."
But now it seemed the one made by the other side was nothing but a crude, unstable construction!
Still, it was undeniably crucial information.
[Knock! Knock! Knock!]
Just then, the conference room door was rapped upon urgently.
Before anyone could respond, it was pushed open and someone entered directly.
"What is it?"
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley looked at the man with displeasure.
The soldier hurried over and whispered something into his ear.
At the side, Aburame Shibi's sharp hearing caught the words. His expression changed at once, and with a loud bang he shoved back his chair and shot to his feet.
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley likewise rose abruptly, glaring furiously at Rory, Cato, and the others.
"So your so-called gift… was the corpses of our fallen soldiers!"
The reason for his violent reaction was that the soldier had told him Major General Budo and Jōnin A were among them.
"Her Holiness Rory Mercury says returning the remains of your war dead—was that not an act of goodwill?"
"And moreover, that Major General Budo and Jōnin A are not dead. They still cling to a breath of life."
Aburame Shibi's voice was icy cold: "But you crippled their four limbs!"
Lelei, facing their terrifying gazes, translated softly: "Her Holiness Mabel says—did they not attack the Imperial Capital and Rondel? Should they not be punished? And besides, this is also a warning from the gods for your unauthorized invasion."
At that, the demigod Mabel arrogantly lifted her chin, her face curling into a mocking smile as she looked at Aburame Shibi and the others.
The atmosphere in the conference room plummeted to absolute freezing point.
…
Nuclear Weapons World, inside Japan.
In front of a certain private villa in Shinagawa, Tokyo, a ring of white light suddenly materialized out of thin air.
As the white glow inside faded, leaving only its outline—
It became a circular spatial passage, linking two different worlds.
This was the Void Magic "World Gate."
Sure enough, one after another, Tabitha, Kirche, Illococoo, Tiffania, Hodolew, and Tuka stepped out.
Following them were Itami Yōji, and the other members of the Ground Self-Defense Force.
Their attire had changed; they were no longer dressed as soldiers.
Yet their weapons—firearms, grenades, blades—still hung at their sides.
Finally, Saito and Louise emerged, bringing with them the Sage Mimoza, along with two magicians of doctoral rank.
"Whew—good! My magic works just fine. That saves us a lot of trouble!"
Louise turned with a bright grin, speaking as the "World Gate" before her quickly vanished.
Before departing, they had gone to the temple of Hardy, the Goddess of the Underworld, and had successfully gained permission to open the Gate.
But the price was that once Louise brought their families back, she would have to worship Hardy as her main deity—becoming her apostle.
Hardy even promised that she would grant Louise divinity, allowing her to become an "immortal and undying" demigod.
Thus, after a thousand years, Louise's soul would transcend her body and become a new main god.
Louise had wanted to refuse outright.
Yet, just then, a strange voice suddenly rang within her mind:
[Louise, agree to it!]
Startled, Louise nearly froze on the spot.
But she inexplicably realized—the voice belonged to Brimir himself.
So, almost instinctively, she obeyed that inner command and accepted Hardy's terms.
Still, she paid little heed to the matter of godhood. Right now, all she cared about was bringing her family home.
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