Meido didn't interrupt them. She simply stood there quietly, watching as the Reincarnators combined their power to tear open a massive rift in the cosmic void.
She was quite looking forward to seeing their faces once they realized that, despite their efforts, escape was impossible—and that despair was all that awaited them.
It would surely be fascinating.
When the enormous spatial rift finally appeared before them, all the Reincarnators exhaled in relief, rushing eagerly toward it one after another.
However, the instant they passed through the rift, they were horrified to find themselves right back where they had started.
The beautiful woman who had tried to escape earlier froze as she saw the all-too-familiar scene unfold once again. The faint glimmer of hope on her face vanished, replaced by sheer terror.
Panic spread rapidly among the group. One by one, despair took hold of every Level 8 Reincarnator's face.
Then, a playful voice drifted over from the side.
"Yes, that's the look! Just as I thought—it's absolutely delightful!"
With a radiant smile, Meido spread her arms wide, her tone brimming with amusement as she addressed the forty-two men and women before her. Her words instantly drew all their attention.
"Don't get too pleased with yourself. Just because you survived one attack doesn't mean we can't deal with you," the leading Reincarnator—the Level 8, Stage 7 male—said coldly, glaring at her.
"Oh? I'd like to see exactly what you think you can do to me."
Meido crossed her arms over her chest, smiling sweetly, her demeanor completely relaxed as if she didn't take them seriously in the slightest.
Seeing this, the Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator said nothing more. Instead, he glanced around at his companions.
"Everyone, attack together. Since we can't escape, we might as well go all out. Even if we die, let's make sure to take a piece of her with us!"
His words made several expressions change. Some looked tempted, some were filled with despair, and others showed only bitter unwillingness.
"Maybe we should wait for that peak Level 8 powerhouse instead. Perhaps we can negotiate—if we pay a heavy enough price, they might let us live."
The beautiful Level 8, Stage 6 woman still hadn't given up hope, grasping at the faintest possibility of survival.
Her suggestion found support among many of the Reincarnators.
"Yes, we still have one last chance. If we attack and actually kill that maid, then there truly won't be any way out for us."
Others, however, scoffed at the idea of trying to strike Meido at all.
"Heh... Do you really think we can kill her? I'm certain that the peak powerhouse is watching us right now. If that maid were ever truly in danger, we'd already be dead before we could even realize it."
"To them, everything we're doing right now is nothing but a clown show..."
A Level 8, Stage 3 Reincarnator said bitterly, his tone filled with hopeless resignation. He no longer showed the slightest respect toward the higher-ranked man.
"Hmph, of course I know that. But so what?"
The Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator's cold eyes swept toward the one who had spoken.
With his higher level came greater experience, and he was fully aware that everything they did was likely under the observation of that mysterious, overwhelmingly powerful being.
He even had a chilling suspicion—that the entity watching them wasn't just a normal peak Level 8, but something far beyond that.
Otherwise, their combined effort wouldn't have failed so miserably. Ordinary peak Level 8s couldn't possibly seal off an entire universe.
His countless years of survival within the Main God Space had taught him one thing: in front of an enemy who could utterly crush you, begging for mercy was nothing but a joke.
Power was the only guarantee of life.
As the saying went, the man is the knife, and I am the meat. When he realized escape was impossible, he had already abandoned all hope of survival.
"Since they want a show, then I'll give them one worth watching!"
With that, the Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator moved without hesitation. In a flash, he appeared beside Meido, spreading his arms wide as he tried to restrain her by force.
But in the next instant, he realized that his arms had closed around nothing. Meido was still standing several meters away from him, completely untouched. He hadn't even sensed how she avoided his grasp.
Logically speaking, a mere Level 8, Stage 1 should never have been able to react to his high-speed movement.
When Meido saw the Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator standing there awkwardly with his arms outstretched, she immediately understood—Eriri had helped her avoid physical contact.
The Reincarnator seemed to realize it as well. Abandoning his attempt to seize her, he began gathering his energy instead. His body flared with dazzling light as overwhelming, destructive power surged within him.
"Not good! He's going to self-destruct! We need to get out of here—now!"
Recognizing his intent, every Reincarnator's expression changed dramatically. Though they all knew survival was unlikely, none wanted to die in the explosion of a Level 8, Stage 7 powerhouse.
They frantically activated their internal energy, trying to flee the area as fast as possible.
A self-detonation at that level was no trivial matter. It might not destroy the entire universe—but billions of galaxies, perhaps, would cease to exist.
Meido, however, didn't move. Her calm expression didn't waver as she watched the impending explosion from just a few meters away, showing not even the slightest intent to evade.
Then the fleeing Reincarnators discovered something terrifying: an unseen force had restricted their movements. They couldn't escape the area—not even move more than a few hundred meters. They were trapped, spinning helplessly within a confined space.
"Why?! Why is this happening?! Is this fun for you?! You think it's funny to toy with us like monkeys? If you've got the guts, show yourself and kill us already! What's the point of hiding?!"
One Reincarnator, driven to madness by despair, screamed hysterically into the void.
Others followed suit, their sanity crumbling. Cursing wildly into the endless darkness, they hurled vile insults with no restraint.
Since they were doomed anyway, fear of the peak-level being watching over them vanished entirely. They vented their frustration and hatred without care—acting as though they were the victims, not the ones who had come to destroy this universe.
But soon, they would realize how foolish that truly was. For sometimes, death was a mercy.
"Ara ara~ it seems quite a few of you are rather displeased with me."
A soft, teasing laugh accompanied the arrival of a charming, crystalline voice that echoed across the cosmic void.
The moment the voice was heard, the entire galaxy froze—as though time itself had been paused.
The raging explosion of the Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator was suspended mid-burst, forming a blinding orb of light several meters wide. The man himself had vanished completely within it.
Every other Reincarnator was locked in place—some mid-shout, faces twisted in rage; others weeping in despair; still others standing slack-jawed in defeat.
Only their thoughts remained active. Though their bodies were frozen, their consciousnesses still perceived everything around them.
Only Meido was unaffected by the time-space stasis. She remained free to move.
The moment she heard that voice—one she could recognize in her very soul—Meido's beautiful face lit up with a radiant, joyful smile.
And then, before the eyes of Meido and the immobilized Reincarnators alike, Eriri appeared silently in the cosmic void.
Her golden hair, nearly two meters long, flowed freely down her back, reaching forty centimeters past her feet—like the divine creation of a god.
Her flawless, delicate face bore a gentle smile. A pink-and-white dress hugged her petite frame, its hem stopping at mid-thigh, showing the soft curves of her thighs framed by white sheer tights.
Her delicate feet were bare beneath the transparent fabric—the outline of each toe clearly visible, so soft and flawless that anyone who saw them would feel an irresistible urge to worship.
Before them stood a girl whose beauty defied all description. For a moment, every Reincarnator—man and woman alike—was struck dumb, utterly captivated.
"Miss, I didn't expect you to come in person," Meido said with a faint smile, flashing to Eriri's side in an instant.
"Well, I heard someone was bad-mouthing me, so I came to see who had the guts to do that~"
Eriri winked playfully at Meido, then turned her gaze toward the Reincarnators. The sweetness in her smile vanished, replaced by something dangerous.
Floating forward, she stopped just two meters away from the nearest Reincarnator. Her bright blue eyes swept over the forty-one trapped figures, though her focus lingered on the few who had dared to curse her.
"Now then... it was you few who were insulting me earlier, wasn't it?"
Feeling her gaze upon them, the insolent Reincarnators tensed up, regret flooding their hearts.
The others, meanwhile, studied Eriri silently, hoping she might be someone merciful. After all, she didn't look like a bad person.
But her next words shattered that illusion completely.
"You know, everyone who dares to provoke me... never ends well."
Eriri spoke casually, not even bothering to lift the time-space restraints that bound them, denying them the ability to respond.
"As for their outcomes—well, the best ones die painlessly. The worst ones..."
Her smile widened slightly. Though her tone remained cheerful, her gaze was devoid of emotion.
"You'll soon find out for yourselves what it means to suffer a fate worse than death. You see, I really don't like it when people insult me~"
A wave of pure terror surged through the hearts of the few who had mocked her. They could no longer even imagine what awaited them.
As veteran Reincarnators, they knew countless punishments far crueler than death—horrors from failed missions that left one begging for oblivion. Yet they had always been the victors, never the victims.
Now, faced with Eriri, they found themselves wishing they had simply died in that earlier explosion instead of provoking a being far beyond their comprehension.
But it was far too late for regrets. And Eriri, of course, had no intention of giving them the chance to speak.
She saw straight through their thoughts and had already decided their punishment.
"Don't worry, I'm not a devil. Before you die for real, I'll let you experience every single death that ever existed across all Reincarnation Worlds, repeated for few billions of years. No need to thank me~"
Her words—spoken in the sweetest, most adorable tone—were more terrifying than any scream. The doomed Reincarnators broke down completely.
Without paying them any further attention, Eriri waved her hand lightly. The Reincarnators vanished from the cosmic void, reappearing inside a twisted space where time flowed faster than normal.
Within that space, a demon named Diodora was endlessly repeating countless brutal deaths.
Now, several new souls had joined him—and their own endless deaths were about to begin.
...
Those who remained trembled as their companions vanished before their eyes. None dared to hope for mercy anymore. They only wished for a quick death—to end things cleanly, before sharing the same fate.
Inwardly, they thanked whatever luck had kept them from losing control earlier. None of them wanted to draw the ire of this deceptively cute, yet monstrously powerful being.
"Alright, now that I've dealt with the rude ones, it's your turn. Tell me—how should I handle the rest of you invaders?"
Eriri crossed her arms, her pale finger gently tapping her chin as if pondering the question seriously.
Her words made every remaining Reincarnator's heart tighten. They braced themselves for the worst.
Fortunately for them, that moment of dread was brief.
"Hmm... never mind. I won't bother punishing you further. You can all just vanish along with that one's self-detonation."
Relief swept through the crowd. For the first time since Eriri's arrival, the surviving Reincarnators exhaled. Some even felt an absurd sense of gratitude toward her—for granting them such a merciful end.
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