Hearing what Utaha Kasumigaoka said, Eriri also looked at Noah with eager eyes, her clear blue pupils shining with anticipation.
"I—I want a Vision too. I also have a wish to fight for all the beauty in the world."
Noah listened to their hopeful words and smiled. This was exactly as expected.
"Mhm~ No surprise. After all, no one can resist extraordinary power. It's the most fundamental logic of life."
"Greater power ensures survival—this is the primal logic of existence."
"But above power, countless personal desires arise, which can lead to unforgivable mistakes driven by those desires."
"That's why power, like a wild horse, must be reined in."
"And that rein is the wish for the world's beauty."
Currently in the Teyvat Universe, it's not that only those with a wish for beauty can become gods. However, Vision-to-Godhood holders with such wishes possess special privileges. In essence, they are blessed with fortune, for being acknowledged by the Heavenly Principle itself causes the universe to show goodwill.
"To be honest, this is the first time someone has directly asked me for a Vision. But I'll forgive you two."
With that, Noah stretched out his hand, and two blank Visions appeared in his palm.
Now, a Vision is not only the crystallization of godhood, but also a token of goodwill from the great will of the universe.
Although the criteria for obtaining a Vision hadn't changed since the old days, the wish crystals within them varied in strength.
While he wished he could say there were no superior or inferior wishes, in truth, they absolutely differed.
A savior who rescues a dying world and a hero who saves a nation can both receive Visions. However, after becoming gods, the concepts they embody differ vastly, with the former surpassing the latter by far.
Thus, the strength of a wish crystal determines how far one can go afterward.
Some who ascend via Vision-to-Godhood possess too shallow a wish, and without further merit, they may never become True Gods. For them, reaching Upper God is the limit.
Vision-to-Godhood guarantees a baseline of Upper God.
As long as they exist long enough, they will eventually reach that tier.
To become a True God without massive merit, one must rely solely on themselves—and must hold a great wish.
Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri swallowed hard, their hands trembling slightly as they received their Visions.
As world-class manga creators, the settings of their works were etched into their deepest memories.
Utaha Kasumigaoka held the blank Vision close to her chest, her deep red eyes filled with longing for all the beauty in the world.
"I received information from Teyvat and created world-renowned stories. Every day, I am moved by the tales of Teyvat, and I've come to understand the strength and will it takes to devote one's life to beauty."
"So my wish is to fight for the beauty of the world itself."
In her eyes was reflected the ever-smiling Lord Heavenly Principle. He had known her wish all along—of that, she was certain.
Buzz...
The Vision she held to her chest began radiating a rainbow of light. A Stigmata belonging to her appeared within the Vision.
"I understand now. A wish, a Vision, Lord Heavenly Principle—they form a contract. And once made, that contract is for life. It's the most powerful causal law."
"Thank you."
Though Utaha always saw herself as extraordinary, after realizing the Heavenly Principle and Teyvat truly existed, she understood:
Her current success was because she had been favored.
Otherwise, she would have been just an ordinary high school girl, living an ordinary life after graduation.
The Vision in Eriri's hand also began to glow in a rainbow hue. Her wish was similar to Utaha's, but slightly different.
Noah nodded.
Anyone who had read Teyvat's stories would undoubtedly be moved—and thus, make a wish to pursue all that is beautiful.
Especially since it was Noah himself who granted the wish to both Kasumigaoka and Eriri.
"I look forward to the day you become True Gods."
Hearing Noah's blessing, both Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri became bashful.
Although she hadn't written any explicit content into her novels, she certainly understood what becoming a True God entailed.
It meant being able to receive Lord Heavenly Principle's divine favor.
What followed was a rather ordinary day.
Those who had emerged from fictional worlds had already fought Altair and her side during the daytime.
Given the impact that too many people in broad daylight could cause, even those siding with Altair didn't prefer to fight then.
Both sides seemed to tacitly agree to take their battles into the night.
In truth, Altair's people aimed to kidnap the creators and use them to alter their own worlds.
The state did its best to protect those creators—satellites, armored vehicles, and armed forces had entered the city.
However, they did not disrupt the daily lives of civilians.
Publicly, it was announced as a military exercise or a counter-terrorism operation.
The truth was covered from all angles—even if fighting broke out, news reports blamed gas explosions or foreign terrorists.
Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri had originally wanted to go shopping with Noah, but it eventually turned into a scene where a seemingly rich young master was walking around with four girlfriends—drawing excessive attention from passersby.
They went through all the usual date routines: shopping at the mall, eating at McDonald's, etc.
Honestly, he hadn't really experienced such a modern and ordinary date.
He had always debuted as the absolute ruler of a world—even his dates were with goddesses whose names echoed through the universe, and those weren't ordinary dates.
It was always a one-sided affair, his word was law, and all the goddesses obeyed his every whim.
Soon, it was dusk.
Eriri rubbed her stomach. "I'm so full. Ever since I gained this power, I feel like I could eat a whole cow and not worry about gaining weight."
Utaha Kasumigaoka casually dropped a bomb. "I ate four burgers—my stomach's slightly bulging. Feels like I'm pregnant."
She glanced at Noah as she said this. Noah remained calm.
Just then, a thunderous explosion echoed in the distance.
The pedestrians were shocked.
"Another gas explosion?"
"What's the city hall doing? Gas lines are always so outdated."
"Exactly. What are those officials doing with our tax money?"
Utaha and Eriri immediately turned toward the sound.
"It's started! Let's go quickly!"
Noah stroked his chin. "Altair," he said with a faint smile.
In an instant, Noah, Ophis, Dream, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Eriri vanished from their spots.
When they reappeared, it was in an abandoned commercial street—only the streetlights remained on, all other lights had been turned off.
The ground was already scarred with chaotic trenches from intense battle. A pedestrian bridge had been shattered.
A blonde knight, riding a flying steed, charged down with a lance in hand, roaring—
"You! Hand over the Creator!"
Rumble rumble rumble...
The sound of high-speed objects slicing through the air rang out.
Buzz!
The female knight was, of course, Alicetaria, and her lance was aimed directly at Meteora, who had activated a blue magic circle.
Behind Meteora stood Alicetaria's creator, Gai Takarada, whose legs were trembling as he swallowed nervously.
"I—I knew it. The moment I appeared, Alicetaria was bound to come after me. Her personality was something I thought through in painstaking detail."
"To her, I must look like some evil god manipulating the world."
Meteora said, "Don't worry, Mr. Takarada. We will protect you."
Boom!
The female knight dove from above on her pegasus, her lance striking the magic circle. A loud explosion echoed as the ground burst open, rubble and dust scattering like fireworks.
"Aaaaah!" Gai Takarada's scream rang out from within the smoke.
As the dust cleared, the situation was revealed. The lance had not broken the magic circle. Alicetaria wasn't aiming to kill—she was trying to capture her creator.
"Why?! Why must you keep stopping me again and again?!"
"I just want to make the gods change our tragic world. Why do you always stand in my way?!"
Selesia rushed forward. Alicetaria immediately pulled back, but noticed Selesia didn't attack.
Selesia shouted indignantly, "You've all been deceived by Altair! She brought you into this world to destroy it!"
Yuya Mirokuji also dashed in from afar, landing beside Gai Takarada.
"That's right! We've learned the truth of this world, Knight. We now know Altair's true goal. We must tell you all."
"Once you know the truth, your choices are your own."
Boom!
Suddenly, Alicetaria looked up to the sky. A massive hundred-meter-tall mecha loomed above them.
"Everyone's here? Was this a trap?"
"Alicetaria-chan!"
A pink streak of light shot toward her, landing beside her.
A girl in a pink magical girl outfit arrived, her face filled with concern.
"Alicetaria-chan, are you hurt?"
"Mamika, I'm fine," Alicetaria replied, shaking her head but not averting her gaze from those in front of her.
Mamika Kirameki was different from her—her world was beautiful and injury-free, so she had a kind heart and always hoped to resolve things through dialogue. Because of that, she was easily deceived.
Even though Mamika had more power, Alicetaria believed it was her duty to protect her.
"Geez... Has it already come to the final battle? Everyone's gathering here."
A man in a leather outfit, dressed like a cross between a cop and a bounty hunter, Blitz floated in midair, slowly loading bullets into his revolver.
So far, these were the characters Altair had brought into the real world. The rest hadn't appeared yet.
Maintaining her magic circle, Meteora spoke, "Now that everyone's here, please listen. I will tell you the truth about this world—and Altair's true purpose."
"This is not a stalling tactic. I ask you to give me a few minutes to explain."
Mamika blinked. "I know nobody really wants to fight. Alicetaria-chan, Grandpa—can we just talk for a bit first?"
Alicetaria gritted her teeth. "What is there to talk about? Haven't you all stopped me time and time again from saving my world?"
Blitz closed the cylinder of his revolver and spoke in a deep voice. "The Knight wants to save her world. I'm different—so there's nothing to talk about."
"I'll use bullets instead of words to say everything I need to say."
With that, his revolver aimed straight at Yuya Mirokuji.
Just then, a woman's voice rang out.
"So you came to this world to kill me—the creator who caused your daughter's tragic death."
"Isn't that right, Blitz Talker?"
Blitz immediately looked over, quickly pointing his revolver toward the source of the voice.
It was the very person he had come to this world seeking—his world's creator.
"You didn't hide, and instead showed up here."
Just as Blitz was about to pull the trigger, the woman continued.
"Blitz, to you, this is the world of the gods."
At this, Junma Suruga pulled a lady's cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
"A bounty hunter seeking revenge against a god for his daughter's death—even a rookie wouldn't write such a cliché plot."
"If it were me..."
"The daughter who had already died and gone to hell would resurrect before the bounty hunter's eyes, just as he was about to take revenge on a god."
"And then, despite everything, the bounty hunter would still point his gun at Altair, hoping to return with his daughter to the original timeline."
"If it were me, that's the story I'd draw."
"Out of a hundred points, how many would you give such a plot, Blitz?"
Suruga looked up at Blitz floating in the air, smiling.
Blitz's pupils trembled, his revolver—still aimed at his creator—shaking.
"Resurrect... my daughter... Something like that, how could that be possible? No matter how you think about it, it's impossible."
Meteora quickly added, "It may be impossible in your world, but this is the world of the gods—nothing is impossible here."
"Everyone, calm down and listen to me..."
Meteora then revealed the truth of the world and Altair's true purpose.
Mamika Kirameki was in disbelief. "How could it be? How could Altair-chan want to destroy the world?"
Alicetaria's expression turned grim as she clenched her teeth. "Destroying the world? Even if Altair wants to destroy it, that doesn't conflict with my goal—I won't give up on saving my world."
Blitz's expression was calm. He already knew Altair's true purpose.
In fact, he somewhat agreed with it.
Buzz...
The sound of a sharp object slicing through the air was followed by a feigned tone of cheer.
"Oh~"
"Hehehe, I must admit, you're quite capable. I underestimated you. To think you uncovered the truth of the world so quickly."
"And with just a few words, you've shaken the loyalties of those who once stood with me. I have to applaud you."
Clap clap clap~
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Hovering in the air was a girl dressed in a Spanish-style double-layered military uniform, knee-high socks, and thick-heeled shoes.
She had fan-shaped, silver twin-tails reaching down to her heels, a navy cavalry cap pressing her silver hair down. Her heterochromatic eyes—red on the outside, blue on the inside—looked down on everyone.
Wearing iron-plated gloves, she clapped slowly.
Altair looked down at everyone present, her face filled with a fake smile.
But when her gaze fell on someone standing casually on the shattered pedestrian bridge—a man who looked just like an ordinary human—her heterochromatic eyes instantly contracted.
"N-No way! He—he's the protagonist of the strongest worldview... How could he possibly be in this world?!"
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