WORLD: EARTH
BRANCHED WORLD: DATE A LIVE
LOCATION: NEIGHBORING WORLD
They arrived in front of a gate as massive as the eyes could see. Everything was pristine white.
Here, the only colors that could be identified were those of Kurumi's and Laurel's.
"Is this the Neighboring World?"
Kurumi muttered, already donning her Astral Dress. No, she didn't don her God's Authority.
Rather, it appeared on her the moment she stepped foot in this place.
Yet, all she could see right now was this white gate that went upwards.
An endless arch until it vanished into a ceilingless sky.
Curious, she yet idly turned her head back, only to find an infinite black stretching away.
"In a way, you can say we are on the border between two different universes existing in this world."
It was Laurel who took three measured steps to the front. He closed his eyes, extending his arms forward.
Laurel did this for a moment before he then paused before letting his hands drop.
"Forget it."
With those words, he turned back to face the gates, and Kurumi did so alongside him too.
Now... how to enter.
"Do we break it down~?"
Kurumi suggested with a tilt of her head, fingers on lips as she innocently thought, however, this made Laurel flinch.
Rather, he grimaced.
"Seems like you want your world destroyed."
With a matter-of-fact tone, he said that. Perhaps, it could be because he used [Spatial Motion].
Instead of dropping at particular coordinates there. Perhaps Spatial Motion was blocked, rather that...
Maybe it was interfered with.
A rule or something, something that denies access to the Neighboring World through unconventional means.
Laurel's lips curled faintly. "Really thought this one through, didn't they?"
But then his tone flattened.
"No choice, huh?"
Muttering that under his breath, Kurumi looked over, curious, then blinked when he sharply turned at her.
Slowly he approached her, taking her back before stopping in front of her.
Despite looking at her, he wasn't particularly looking at her, but still looking at her regardless.
"I'm not confident if this will work, but my other trump card has to be that."
'Threads of Fate.'
One of the universe's oldest truths: Everything, no matter how far it strayed, would loop back into its destined place.
If he leveraged her connection to the person inside, she could enter.
But, if he did this,
Kurumi will probably be the only one with access inside. And maybe, just maybe if he used unconventional methods,
he could regroup with her.
Laurel closed his eyes.
He entered that space, like the Phecda's space, where that Omniscient Star dwelt.
Laurel slowly stretched out his hand, syncing with his authority.
As he did, the stars in the distant black all began to trail a semicircular line in the distance.
'Borrow [Arbiter] from #001. Then using it, create a Skill similar to summoning that either summons or reverse summons something to another side.'
[Confirmed. Accessing 『Keya』records concerning said skills.]
[Acknowledge. Future knowledge of certain skills exists with matched descriptions.]
[『Lord of Storms: Veldora』]
[Subskill: Storm Dragon Summon]
[Do you want to create a new lesser skill based on this data?]
'Yes. Skill Creation target. Member #006, syncing with the All-World Alliance Guild and its corresponding protocols.'
[Accepted: Target, Tokisaki Kurumi.]
[Question: Do you want to assign other skills or the re-arrangement of the Spirit Powers under her possession?]
'No. Not now. That will come later.'
[Notice: A harmful substance that can be harmful to #006 has been discovered. Notices of tampering have been detected.]
[Object ID: 000003]
[Codename: Sephirah Crystal]
[Do you want to isolate object ID: 000003 now?]
Laurel's jaw flexed.
'Not now. You're me, stop trying to pick a fight with yourself. We'll settle Origin's case later.'
'That aside, using the 'Threads of Fate,' can we connect the newly acquired skill to a person logged on #006 'ToFs' list?'
[Yes: It is within power. However, there may be discrepancies, such as the acknowledgement of the other party to function.]
'Why is that?'
Laurel in his mindspace frowned.
[Due to the strong dimensional barrier between #006 and the target, directly implanting would require active consent.]
'That's bs. Not only is she inhabiting #006's clone, she also has a strong fate with the target.'
[Correct: As said, it is at the border between two universes, as such, the border's rules persist..]
'Bypass it. That alone should be enough. We are not here to destroy this world.'
[Notice: Other factors are disrupting this.]
'Ugh!!! What now!?'
The poor calamity hunched forward, fingers digging into his hair as though the pressure in his skull might split it.
Tch.
With this level of resistance, there was no way he could even think about challenging the Origin.
Not until his Authority climbed to its fifth tier, maybe then he'd have the leverage to hold a candle to Reality Wrappers.
[The target is refusing connection.]
Laurel's gaze went flat.
The words weren't surprising, but they were enough to make his patience fray.
For a second, the image of simply detonating the gate and letting the consequences spill where they may felt... tempting.
His patience had been tested enough for a day. He thought.
Especially when it mostly came from himself, the extension of himself which was the [Fourth Calamity (EX)].
"Laurel? You've been spacing out~ What could you be thinking about~"
Invading his space, she was close. Too close. Leaning in until her breath brushed against his cheek.
If either of them moved, their foreheads would touch.
He blinked back into the present, and Kurumi, satisfied with her intrusion, eased away with a faint smile.
"I was trying to find a way to reverse summon you, especially to where your friend is."
Laurel, slowly then turned his half-lidded gaze towards the massive gates.
"She, however, is refusing connection to you. And trying to force it... I will at least need an upgrade."
He then motioned his chin toward the endless gate.
"Not to mention, the skill needs both parties' consent to work."
Kurumi's smile deepened for a moment before she tucked it away, hearing that.
"My~ thank you for the hard work."
She said that at first, then her expression returned neutral. Almost too serene.
"Can you make it so I'm the one to set the connection?"
Laurel stared at her without blinking for a moment, and then slowly nodded.
It was indeed possible.
Oh... wait... "So, you want to be the one to initiate the skill."
"Yes. Let me be the one to do it. Otherwise, she wouldn't accept."
Indeed. The White Queen wasn't the type to accept something. She was that type. The one who liked being in control.
Hence, it was typical of her to refuse something that was offered to her.
His actions would have probably reminded her of the Origin who manipulated her.
Laurel's fingers slid over his face, pressing into his brow.
Yes. It certainly was plausible.
Annoyingly plausible.
"Alright then, I'll initiate contact again."
Saying that, he entered that space once more, like the Phecda's space.
Laurel slowly stretched out his hand again, syncing with his authority.
As he did, like before, the stars in the distant black all began to trail a semi-circular line in the distance.
'Using #006 as the trigger to initiate contact, establish connect with target Yamauchi Sawa•White Queen.'
[Initiating...]
. . .
Kurumi experienced darkness.
A never-ending darkness. As though sinking deeply into an ocean of nothingness. It had no weight and no temperature.
There was only the crushing sense of an endless ocean with nothing above or below.
She could have been sinking forever, yet she could not tell if she was moving at all.
There was no beginning. No end. No reference for where she might even be.
Somewhere in the blank, she opened her eyes with an absurd reflex, because here, "open" and "closed" meant the same thing.
Her reasoning caught up with her, sluggish and heavy, like her mind was dragging itself through mud.
She tried to lift her arms, but her body found nothing to grasp.
No air, no ground, not even the familiar resistance of her own limbs.
She tried moving her body, and her sense of direction collapsed in on itself,
leaving her floating inside a warped, spinning perspective.
'Where?'
She thought. However, something bizarre happened. The words she'd spoken in her mind echoed.
WHERE—WHERE—WHERE—!
It came back huge, booming, as if shouted by something far larger than she was, each echo rattling through whatever counted as her soul.
'Nngh.'
Kurumi flinched, if flinching was possible here, and, she stifled her own thoughts.
Even thinking felt dangerous at this point.
It was... lonely.
Perhaps this was retribution for all the wicked things she'd done.
Did that mean she failed?
Maybe.
Would he be disappointed?
'—ey.'
Well, he'd be better without a woman like her in his life. Or rather, she should have tried forming a genuine relationship.
But now...
It was too late.
'Hey...'
'HELLO!? NOW HEAR ME, YOUNG WOMAN.'
A voice resounded, loud and merciless, making her wince as the voice hit her from every direction.
As though it were physical, those words slammed her whole form, or whatever "form" she had here,
rattling and hurling in random directions without moving an inch.
She clenched her jaw to keep from screaming back.
She knew the echo would only bounce back twice as hard, smashing her again.
Instead, she let out a low, frustrated growl, the sound swallowed instantly by the void.
But in the next instance, the tone softened,
'Something went wrong. Your soul and mind were one step from oblivion. Sorry. It was my mistake to send you on like that."
'Entering metaphysical realms of existence with your spirit unprotected is suicide. You were about to be assimilated.'
The voice now spoke in a self-deprecating manner. It paused for a moment before continuing.
'Anyway, I've found you. There, you will see a line tied to your hands; grab it. I'll just use this to send you straight up to her.'
'The rest will be up to you.'
She now understood who was talking, and what's more, she now knew the worlds he interacted with.
It was scary.
However,
As those words fell, indeed a white line slowly crawled over from the boundless dark, tying itself onto her arm.
Then, the string seemed to tug at her before it rapidly drew her away, colors and shapes flashing very quickly before her eyes.
Everything passed quickly as though she were moving at a speed faster than the third cosmic velocity.
Then she stopped.
A pure white realm.
Blocks of white cubes stationed at every part of the realm, spreading as far as the eye could see.
In front was a silhouette. One that, despite the hairstyle that was similar to hers, and the color opposite to hers.
Instinctively, she recognized this figure, her lips moving without permission,
Her name:
"...Sawa-san...."
The Queen turned her head, just enough for Kurumi to see the edge of her smile.
"I knew you'd come, Kurumi."