"To sum up, a D-Rank majin from our world, after gaining three major tiers here, would reach A-Rank strength."
"One-on-one, they could roughly match the strongest Stage V Gastrea."
"Uh..."
Hearing this, the Snow Empress and others instantly lost their fighting spirit. "So weak!"
After all that, these were just goblin-level opponents?
So their 8,000 goblins equated to 8,000 Stage V Gastrea?
"That's it?"
The Ice Empress, grasping the strength comparison, said exasperatedly, "These monsters are so weak. Master, couldn't you just wipe them out and come back?"
"Theoretically, yes."
Damien replied, "But hunting Gastrea one by one is too troublesome."
Since it was unclear how many Gastrea needed to be killed to meet his awakening requirements, Damien planned a single, global strike to eradicate them all.
"The preparations will take about a day."
With ample preparation time, Damien could tackle things he'd wanted to do but hadn't had the chance.
"I've already started."
Violet's voice chimed in. "I'm scanning this world to pinpoint every Gastrea's location."
"So, at most a day, and I'll be back."
Damien glanced at the time... it was early morning. "If we're quick, we can have dinner together tomorrow."
"Oh, found a highway."
Leaving the ruins, Damien stepped onto an abandoned road.
He didn't use detection magic, instead walking through the ruins like an ordinary person.
Ahead lay a city encircled by Monoliths.
His arrival wasn't random; he'd chosen this spot deliberately.
The city before him was the setting of the story... Tokyo Area, one of Japan's five major administrative zones.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Damien turned his head slightly.
He spotted a small figure emerging from beneath a nearby bridge.
"Someone's there!"
The Ice Empress's sharp eyes caught it first.
It was an eight- or nine-year-old girl with short silver-gray hair, draped in a tattered pink cloak covered in dust and stains, as if it had never been washed.
Damien stood still, watching as the girl clumsily climbed the grassy slope with her hands and feet, stepping onto the same road as him.
Her bare feet tread on the cracked pavement, occasionally stepping on sharp pebbles.
Yet she was powerless to avoid them.
A white bandage covered her eyes... she was a blind girl, unable to see.
"Is this one of this world's survivors?"
"She looks so pitiful."
Artoria's heart ached. If she were there, she'd have rushed to help the girl.
But she could only watch through Damien's eyes.
"Hello."
In his mind, Damien recalled a character resembling this blind girl.
He wasn't sure if she was the one he remembered.
That didn't stop him from extending kindness.
"Ah!"
The sudden greeting startled the blind girl.
"Um, sir, are you talking to me?"
She stood timidly, turning her head toward Damien's voice. "Can I help you with something?"
"I'd like to ask what time it is."
"Time?"
"I mean, what year."
Damien wanted to confirm the timeline to see if the story's events had begun.
"It's 2029, sir."
"2029?"
Damien recalled the story started in 2030, a year from now.
So, the protagonist, Rentaro Satomi, might not have even met Enju Aihara yet.
"Yes."
The blind girl asked cautiously, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Of course!"
Damien kept his tone as gentle as possible. "May I ask what you're doing?"
"Me?"
The girl thought for a moment, then pulled out a piece of cardboard from her cloak.
It bore a plea for kind people to offer her charity.
"She's a beggar?!"
Artoria, glancing at the sign, trembled as she voiced the girl's purpose.
Or rather, her daily life.
A blind girl surviving by begging.
Thankfully, the girl couldn't hear Artoria's shocked exclamation.
She simply waited quietly, noticing Damien hadn't spoken.
"You..."
Damien asked, "Would you come with me?"
"Huh?"
The girl froze, not quite understanding.
"Do you know about gods?"
"Gods?"
She nodded, indicating she knew what 'god' meant.
"I'm a god."
In the world of Black Bullet, Damien had no shame in calling himself a god.
With his power here, he was practically omnipotent.
"Wait, hold on!"
Not just Artoria, but the Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and the newly arrived Justeaze, Treyni, Shuna, and Shion were baffled by Damien's approach.
The girl was cute and pitiable, no doubt.
If Shuna or Artoria were in Damien's place, they'd help her too.
But claiming to be a god? Wasn't that a bit much?
To them, Damien was far nobler than any so-called deity.
There was no need to act like some religious con artist!
"Normally, wouldn't you help her live stronger on her own?"
Artoria said, "Why does it sound like Damien's trying to save her?"
"There must be information we don't know."
The Snow Empress analyzed, with Treyni and Shion nodding in agreement, the naive big sister trio growing by one.
"Right, I forgot to share the key details."
Damien's consciousness swiftly relayed information about the Cursed Children and the unfair treatment they faced in this world to the group.
***
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