PS: Thanks for the Powerstones DragonConquer1, Joldered and SparkleEyeMole!!
and to everyone else please enjoy this chapter!!
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In my home world, I fought shadows to learn how my powers worked. Only after I fully mastered my abilities did I face Nyx. In Kiana's world, we dealt first with the Honkai beasts, zombies, and only later a Herrscher. Boss-level enemies didn't just show up right after landing. They came after we had time to settle in! So why now?! Why suddenly a boss fight event happen the moment we touch the ground?! Noah, you totally rigged this, didn't you?! Hachiman mentally groaned as complaints spiraled in his head.
"Hachi-nii, on the left! They've got bows!" Sora's voice snapped him back to the present.
Without hesitation, Hachiman turned and fired at the corrupted lizardkin Sora had spotted. His weapon, Midnight Horizon—a customized pistol, the same model as Hajime's Event Horizon based on the Star of Eden—blasted gravitational force, crushing the threat instantly.
"Ugh, there's way too many of them!" Mei called out beside him, cutting down another corrupted lizardkin with a burst of lightning.
"Kuh! This was supposed to be a crusade against the demon activity near the Dragon's Valley border—we never expected to fall into a trap laid by those vile demons!" the lizardkin soldier who had guided Hachiman and the girls since landing shouted, frustration thick in his voice.
Hachiman let out a sigh as he raised a geo shield around the group, blocking an incoming strike. Nearby, Sora, riding proudly atop a dog-like golem machine called Wan-chan Mark V (yet another bizarre creation from Anisphia), threw a strange grenade (courtesy of Hajime) into the crowd of enemies. It exploded on contact, splattering a black, gooey substance that immediately immobilized several corrupted lizardmen.
Those damn inventors!… What in the world did they give to a child?! And Mark V? What even happened to Mark I through IV? No. No. No. Don't think about it, Hachiman. You really don't want to know what fate those earlier models met.
"Wan-chan, bark!" Sora shouted excitedly as the golem barked—yes, it actually barked—before launching another odd-looking projectile that has a sharkhead-like tip.
Hachiman twitched, mentally shoving the thought aside. Once again, it was best not to try and understand how the creations of Anisphia and Hajime worked.
'Why do I get the feeling this is going to haunt me later…' he thought before shaking his head focusing on their current objective. to reach the Dragon God's place.
"Hey, how much farther to your dragon god's palace?" Hachiman called out, keeping his aim steady as he fired another shot into the charging lizardmen.
"At our current pace, we should arrive in about half an hour," the lizardkin soldier reported, urgency laced in his tone as he cut down another one of his former comrades who got corrupted by the miasma that the demons spread out.
"Got it." Hachiman replied, shooting another corrupted enemy clean through. "Raiden, you hanging in there?"
"Yes, thank you for asking, Hikigaya-kun," Mei answered, unleashing a burst of Electro energy that stunned a group of lizardkins. Her voice held strong, but she added with little confusion, "Oddly enough, I'm not feeling any resistance. Even 'she' is quiet."
"That's good. Let's keep it that way," Hachiman said firmly, reloading with a snap, turning to their youngest companion.
Sora, gripping Wan-chan's reins tightly, leaned forward. "Mei-nee, Hachi-nii, don't worry! Wan-chan and I will be fine! We surely can keep up with you all!"
"Just don't be reckless, Sora-chan," Mei cautioned, though a faint smile tugged at her lips at the girl's spirit.
The group pressed on, weapons raised, the rumble of battle and distant roars chasing them as they advanced toward the dragon god's home.
—--
DesuMachi World's Orbit, The Astral Express…
"We will go first to DxD world, since Sona needs to attend this Youth Devil thing in the underworld. After that we'll maybe go to Hikaru-san's world," Hajime explained to Noah as Team Reason gathered at the teleportation room. "Only then will we decide which places we will go next."
"Aiyo~ try to enjoy your not really long but absolutely not short vacation," Noah replied with his usual smile.
Hajime squinted at him, as if trying to read Noah's true intentions, before sighing. "…During this period we're away, Patricia-san, Illia, Lainei, Villhaze, Ram, Rem, and Bel-san will rotate back to the Express for duty."
Noah smiled wryly. "You know, they could just stay with you guys, right? Me and the girls can take care of ourselves."
"Tell that to Bel-san directly," Hajime shot back dryly, nodding toward Belfast who is speaking with Patricia and Rem who will first stay and will be on duty aboard the Express.
As if sensing their gaze, Belfast turned and offered a graceful bow to Noah and Hajime.
"…We will gladly be in their care," Noah admitted with a small strained smile, which made Hajime snort.
At the center of the Launch Point where the Girls of Team Reason with Alice led, checking their things with the Maid team.
Alice glanced around sharply. "Ophis' sleeping pillow?"
"Here, Alice-sama. Ophis-sama's things are all packed along Ingvild-sama," Ram answered.
"And the spare tents and blankets?" Alice pressed further.
"Folded and packed, Lady Alice," Villhaze replied quickly
"Good. What about our emergency medical kit?" Alice continued.
"Packed and sterilized, Lady Alice," Lainie confirmed with a nod.
"Also Lainei, have we packed emergency communication beacons and spare mana batteries?" Alice continued without missing a beat.
"Yes, Lady Alice. All accounted for," Lainei answered promptly.
"And the protective charms Sirin insisted on?" Alice asked, eyes sharp.
"Already tied securely to each pack," Villhaze replied with a straight face.
Alice gave a small nod. "Emergency rations?"
"Two weeks' worth are stored and labeled for each of us," Ram reported calmly.
"Then the gold ingots we will use as trade goods in case we can't use any of our existing currencies?"
"Miss Belfast and Miss Patricia have already accounted for them and distributed portions to everyone's emergency pouches," Ram reported.
"Perfect. And Anis's notebooks and sketching tools?" Alice pressed further.
"I secured them personally," Illia replied, holding up a small case.
"???" Anisphia, who is standing beside Alice, blinked at the mention of notebooks and sketch tools prepared for her. "Do we really need to bring that? Rather I'm not even sure we'll need half of the things you're packing…"
"Shh… Anis-sama, let's not disturb Alice-sama," Euphyllia scolded gently, giving her a firm look.
"…How about Anis' emergency lab kit?" Alice asked in a serious tone. "We don't want her dismantling the first thing she sees just because she's bored."
"…Do we have issues together, Alice? Why are you treating me like this?" Anisphia's cheeks twitched, staring at her with an exasperated look.
"It's here, Lady Alice. I have it secure and ready to deploy at any given time," Illia said with equal seriousness.
"Illia?!" Anisphia gasped, looking at her once-personal maid in betrayal. Before she could complain further, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Turning back, she found Euphyllia giving her a gentle, understanding look.
"Euphy!" Feeling touched, Anisphia looked at her with a grateful expression.
"If ever you feel you want to tinker with something, you can ask me, okay? I do have another set of this emergency lab kit. Hajime-sama made sure we had extras," Euphyllia explained softly.
Anisphia was stunned at her words. Before dramatically slumping on the ground, curling into a ball and crying. "…Just what kind of image do you guys have of me…?"
Alice, ignoring Anisphia's theatrics, added sharply, "And Illia, you remembered to pack Anis' spare goggles and gloves, correct? We don't want chemicals splashing in her eyes again."
"They are packed, Lady Alice," Illia confirmed.
"…Seriously?! Even my goggles?!" Anisphia wailed from the floor.
"Ah! That's right!! How about Ophis' snack bag? Is it properly filled? Do we have enough?" Ignoring Anisphia on the ground, Alice asked with priority.
"I got that covered, Lady Alice!" Villhaze said brightly. "I have two bags ready beside Lady Ophis's pouch bag."
Alice gave a small nod, finally exhaling lightly in satisfaction. "Alright. Continue the checks, we won't leave anything behind."
At the side Kiana, Elysia, Lumine, Sirin and Gabriel watching Alice direct the maid team, were dumbfounded.
"Alice looks like a commander preparing her soldiers to march for war." Kiana whispered.
Beside her, Elysia chimed in, "... that is a bit too much. I think it is more like they are transferring to a new home."
"Well, it's not bad to be prepared for anything." Lumine said.
"... So an inflatable rubber boat, life jackets, tents, portable cooking stove, easy carry cooking utensils, safety helmets, pick axe, shovels, 2 weeks worth of food supplies and many more things I don't want to mention... are all needed to visit worlds we already have connections with?" Sirin said in deadpan.
"....like I said, it is not bad to be prepared." lumine repeated but her tone sounds unsure anymore.
Beside them were Ingvild, Ophis, Lavinia, Sona, and Sagiri who—aside from Ingvild and Ophis, whose things were packed together—only needed to bring a single bag or small luggage.
"That's all you will bring?" Gabriel asked, blinking in confusion at the sheer difference between Alice's side and theirs.
"I don't have many items I need. As long as I have the essentials, I'll survive," Sagiri said with a shrug.
Sona smiled wryly, lifting her lightest bag. "Since we'll be returning to our world first, I'll just repack from there. But honestly, I don't need that much anyway."
"In my case, I just stored everything in my dimensional storage—mostly magical components. Aside from daily necessities and clothes, I don't have that many things either," Lavinia added with a smile.
Ingvild adjusted Ophis' smaller bag before speaking. "Most of my and Ophis-chan's things are packed into the same luggage and besides Ophis-chan didn't bring much at all, she just said cookies are enough."
"Hmm, cookies are enough," Ophis confirmed with a small nod.
Back at Alice and the maid team, she finally nodded in satisfaction, seeing all that she 'deemed necessary' are well packed and prepared. "Good. We are pretty much ready."
Hajime and Noah, who had watched the entire ordeal of Alice's over-preparations, exchanged a look. Just how can all of those things be needed?!
"…You're not going to tell off your wife, bro?" Noah muttered.
Hajime looked at him in shock, as if hearing something absurd. "You, of all people, should know this—there's no point arguing with them."
"…Yeah, that's on me," Noah admitted, rubbing his neck. As Hajime said, arguing with their ladies was futile and bound to end in defeat.
Sighing, Noah ran a hand through his hair as he watched the satisfied Alice talking with Euphyllia, Belfast, Patricia, and Illia, completely ignoring the curled-up ball on the ground named Anisphia.
"Hajime," Noah called out.
Hajime looked at him, raising a brow.
Noah licked his lips before continuing, "…No matter who or what you might face on this trip, just be yourself. You and the rest won't face the danger, so you can relax and focus on your own things."
Hajime narrowed his eyes. So he's finally telling me the real purpose of this 'vacation'.
"If it feels overwhelming, just head to Hii's place or Jin-san's," Noah added.
Hajime's mind was already spinning with possible scenarios that might force them to retreat to Herta Space Station or the Xianzhou Luofu. But one phrase stuck out. Will not face the danger, huh.
"…Are you sure you don't want some of us to stay here?" Hajime asked.
Noah blinked, then shook his head. "You going out there, showing yourselves to the public, will already deal with half the problem. And with Alice out there with you, that part will definitely be solved."
So there would be two possible threats this time. One 'danger,' and another that would 'require' Alice to solve. Hajime's jaw tightened as he thought about the implications.
"But this will put you guys facing the other half alone," Hajime said firmly, his brows furrowed.
Noah smiled at his concern. "Thanks, but we can take care of it. I mean Hyperion will."
Hajime's eyes narrowed. If Hyperion was actually going to be deployed, then… "So that's why you had me upgrade the ship's weapon systems and install those things."
Noah replied with a wink.
"Hajime! Come, we are ready to go." Alice called as the rest of Team Reason settled at the center of the teleportation room.
"Coming!!" Hajime answered before looking back at Noah. "Don't hesitate to call if you ever need help."
He didn't wait for Noah's reply and walked toward Alice and the others. Noah let out a wry smile. Kiana and the rest approached him, tilting their heads as they noticed his expression.
"Captain? Is something wrong? You look weird," Kiana asked softly.
Noah didn't reply. Instead, he smiled at her, gently took her hand, pulled her into a hug, and pressed a kiss to her temple before letting go and walking to the edge of the platform to prepare the teleportation for Hajime and the rest.
"?!" Kiana froze at the sudden act, her cheeks flushed as she stood stunned.
Sirin floated in circles around her stunned sister. "Kii, are you okay there? Which dimension is your soul currently flying at?"
"...Must be nice, Kiana-san," Gabriel pouted.
"Muu, why is it always Kii who gets the special treatment?" Elysia added with a huff.
Lumine didn't speak, but the pout on her face said everything.
"Then Noah, Kiana, Elysia, Lumine, Sirin, Gabriel-san—we will leave for a bit," Hajime announced as the trailblazing light wrapped around him and the others in Team Reason.
"Captain and everyone else, we will see you in a bit!" Alice said brightly.
"Captain, everyone expects souvenirs!!!" Anisphia waved.
"Noah-san, everyone take care," Ingvild added with a polite bow.
"Take care," Ophis said, following Ingvild's lead.
"Bye bye, Captain-san!!! Everyone!!" Lavinia called cheerfully.
"Bye for now, we'll see you all after a while," Sona said warmly.
"Everyone, please be careful," Sagiri added. Her eyes stayed on Noah, telling him she caught his earlier conversation with Hajime.
As expected from a ninja… Noah thought.
Ram, Illia, Lainei, Belfast, and Villhaze offered Noah and the others a respectful bow.
Snapping out of her trance, Kiana and the girls of Star Pulse quickly stepped to Noah's side.
Patricia and Rem, who would remain on the Express for their duties, bowed to Hajime and the rest.
"Bye bye! Take care, all of you!!" Kiana said, waving with her usual cheer.
Elysia blew a playful kiss, Lumine offered a gentle wave, Sirin muttered a sincere "See you soon," and Gabriel smiled warmly as she wished them safe travels.
Noah gave one last nod at Hajime, which he returned. Then, in a flash of light, Team Reason disappeared—teleporting back to the DxD world.
—--
DesuMachi World, Dragon Valley…
With the lizardkin soldier leading Hachiman and his team, they ran with all their might toward the palace. But even as they pushed forward, Hachiman and the others could already hear the pounding hooves of cavalry closing in from behind.
"Damn! How dare those vile demons corrupt my fellowmen!" the lizardkin growled, anger rising in his chest as his once comrades became puppets of the demons after their deaths.
"Lizardo-san…" Sora, sitting on top of Wan-chan, whispered sympathetically.
Beside her, Mei bit her lip, frustration twisting across her face at the sight of the lizardkin's grief.
At the rear, Hachiman clenched his fist. As the sound of the cavalry grew louder, he made his decision. He skidded to a halt and turned sharply to face the incoming corrupted enemies
"Hikigaya-kun, what are you doing?!" Mei was the first to notice him stop, her voice rising in alarm.
"Hachi-nii!!!" Sora gasped, her eyes wide.
"Hachiman-dono! Why did you stop?!" the lizardkin shouted in disbelief.
"Just go and continue toward the palace. Leave this to me." Hachiman's grip on Midnight Horizon tightened, his stance firm.
"Just what are you saying?! There's no way we'll leave you here alone?!" Mei argued, her voice sharp with worry.
"Mei-dono is correct, Hachiman-dono! You would face thousands of my kindred by yourself!" the lizardkin added, his tail lashing in agitation.
But Hachiman simply waved his hand dismissively. "I'll be fine. Just go, I'll catch up later."
"But—!" Mei tried to push back, but her words faltered when she felt Hachiman's power flare. Even the lizardkin beside them twitched, while Sora's eyes widened in awe.
Hachiman released a deep breath, his eyes glowing with neon indigo. "I am Thou, Thou art I…"
Mei, Sora, and the lizardkin all felt a tingle run across their skin as they heard his words. Under Hachiman, three shadows slowly shaped into a form.
"Arise… Arsene. Sarasvati. Kikuri-Hime." He called their names firmly, and the figures rose from his shadow.
"Heh… you call, and I answer. Shall we, partner? Let's show them the price of underestimating cynics and thieves." A familiar silhouette rose from the flames, a red coat flaring as wings unfurled—the velvet-smooth voice of Arsene cut through the chaos.
"Be at ease, young Monarch. I will guard you and your allies with flowing grace." A figure with following water-like robes appeared, her voice soft yet commanding—Sarasvati.
"Fear not, my Monarch. My protection will not falter." A figure of pale light and shrine-like regalia emerged, her tone carrying authority—Kikuri-Hime.
Hachiman glanced back at Mei and the rest, his expression resolute. "I'm not alone. I will never be alone. So don't worry. I'll be fine."
"...Hikigaya-kun." Mei's voice was low and solemn.
Sora tugged on Mei's hand, smiling up at her with conviction. "Let's go, Mei-nee. Hachi-nii will be fine. He's the Strongest Nameless after all!"
Mei bit her lip, then nodded with determination. "…I understand. We'll go first and wait for you in the palace. Don't make us wait too long."
Hachiman gave her a crooked smirk and a thumbs up. "You know me. I hate being late." He then looked at Kikuri-Hime. "Kiku-san, cast Masukukaja and Tetraja on everyone."
Kikuri-Hime bowed gracefully, moving her hands in practiced motions as a protective aura wrapped around Hachiman, Mei, Sora, Wan-chan, and the lizardkin.
"…Let's go, lizardkin-san." Mei offered him a small but confident smile.
"Mei-dono… Hachiman-dono…" The lizardkin's expression was filled with disbelief—not only at the power Hachiman had shown, but at Mei and Sora's determination. "…I understand. Please, follow me."
Hachiman watched as Mei and the others hurried away, then turned back to face the oncoming silhouettes of corrupted lizardmen appearing in the distance.
"Hoho! Here they are, here they are!" Arsene grinned, twirling his cane-sword with theatrical flair.
"Sarasvati, prepare Amrita Shower on my count," Hachiman ordered calmly.
"As you will," Sarasvati replied, floating to his front as a gentle light began to gather around her hands.
The corrupted lizardmen closed in, crossing the 200-meter mark. Hachiman calmly counted down. "Five… four… three…"
At a hundred meters, some of the riders spurred forward, leaping to strike. "…Two… one… Go!"
With composed grace, Sarasvati released her spell. Waves of pure water-like light surged forward, washing away the demonic corruption. One after another, the twisted lizardmen collapsed, lifeless, clearing hundreds from the frontline and buying Hachiman precious time for his next move.
"Your turn, partner," Hachiman said, glancing at the eager Arsene.
"Ahahaha! Don't mind if I do!" Arsene roared, leaping into the fray. Flames burst from his cane-sword as his wings spread wide, cutting down any corrupted lizardkin daring to approach.
Hachiman raised Midnight Horizon, aiming it squarely at the enemies charging from the rear. "Midnight Release."
The barrel of Midnight Horizon expanded, glowing as it gathered energy. As if sensing the imminent danger, the corrupted lizardmen tried to bypass Arsene and rush directly at Hachiman, but Sarasvati and Kikuri-Hime floated forward, erecting barriers to shield him.
Moments later, the glowing lines along Midnight Horizon turned green, signaling full charge.
"Fire," Hachiman muttered.
The weapon unleashed a gravity bullet that tore through the battlefield, pulling enemies in front and around Arsene into its path. At its peak, the projectile collapsed in on itself, creating a miniature black hole. The ground quaked violently as the void consumed not only the lizardmen and their mounts but also the very stones, air, and light around it. When the distortion finally vanished, nothing remained—no ashes, no corpses—just a barren crater of silence.
Hachiman lowered Midnight Horizon, its form retracting back to normal as glowing red lines bled across it, entering rest mode.
"Kee! I didn't even get time to stretch my wings, partner!! You cleared them all in an instant!" Arsene whined, throwing his arms up in mock outrage.
Hachiman gave him a sidelong glance, already turning to where Mei and the others had gone. "…I'll give you more chances later. For now, we need to hurry."
Arsene chuckled, twirling his cane-sword before fading back into Hachiman's shadow alongside Sarasvati and Kikuri-Hime. "Keke! That's a promise, alright."
Hachiman broke into a run, chasing after Mei's trail. "Of course."
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