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Eve suddenly realized something and shouted, "Wait… don't tell me—the only reason you got close to me was for that!?"
Takumi paused for a moment before muttering softly, "Uh… no."
"Liar! You hesitated, didn't you? You totally hesitated!"
Spreading her pitch-black wings, Eve glared furiously at him.
But Takumi simply turned away and kissed Anna as if he hadn't heard a word.
With everything so noisy—and himself so busy—he decided that whatever he didn't hear, simply didn't exist.
No matter how loud Eve yelled afterward, Takumi just kept moving his hips, drowning her voice out completely.
When she realized her shouts couldn't even overpower their moans, Eve deflated in defeat. Exhausted, she curled up in the corner, and before she knew it, she'd dozed off.
…
"Ah♡~…"
No idea how much time had passed, but a soft, melodious voice like a nightingale's song pierced through the air, instantly waking Eve.
She rubbed her eyes and felt beneath her—soft bedding.
When did this happen?
She quickly checked herself—her clothes were intact. With a sigh of relief, she sat up and immediately spotted Setsuna and Kureha hard at work nearby.
Flare and Norn were still fast asleep, completely undisturbed.
"You—you—you never stop, do you?!"
Her cheeks burning red, Eve screamed, covering her face with both hands.
Her voice startled Kureha, which drew Takumi's attention.
"What do you mean 'never stop'? This is part of our daily training, okay? Setsuna and Kureha need to break through their level caps. I'm doing homework."
Takumi said that with a righteous expression, as if his work were some grand act of heroism.
Setsuna quickly chimed in, "That's right! Setsuna can feel the power overflowing already!"
Kureha, deeply immersed, nodded as well. "The energy keeps surging out… it feels so full."
Her level had reached 46, and her old cap was 51—but now her level cap had risen to 59!
Setsuna's had skyrocketed even more—from level 7 just a while ago to 22.
Takumi smiled faintly and said, "Want me to help you break through too?"
"N-no, absolutely not!"
Eve's face turned crimson as she frantically shook her head. There was no way she'd accept that.
Under her watchful eyes, the training finally ended. Setsuna gently helped the completely drained Kureha aside.
The sound must have stirred Flare, who moaned softly and opened her eyes. Traces of Flare's other persona still lingered faintly in her mind.
She shook her head, ignoring it, and looked toward Takumi.
"Eeh~ you already finished today's session? I overslept! Setsuna's such a cheat!"
"Hmph~ your stamina's just bad, Flare. Come on, let's go train outside!"
"W-wait! Setsuna-chan~~~"
Despite Flare's protests, Setsuna dragged her outside for their morning exercises.
It was all part of Takumi's plan. Even mages needed strong physical conditioning—otherwise, once an enemy got close, they'd have no chance in direct combat.
"Haha~ what a lively morning. Breakfast will be ready soon, everyone come over~!"
Anna stepped out of the [World-Crossing Gate] wearing an apron, calling cheerfully.
As the group's motherly figure, she had woken up early to cook breakfast.
At the mention of food, Eve's stomach growled loudly. She'd been living on the run, eating in the wild and sleeping rough.
Today was the first time she'd eaten well and slept soundly in what felt like forever.
Thinking of that, she turned to Takumi and asked, "Tell me something… are you a good guy or a bad guy?"
Eve couldn't understand why he'd saved her—why he'd helped her at all.
He seemed like a good person, but everything he did screamed otherwise. After all, he'd hosted quite a festival the night before… right in front of her.
"Does it really matter if I'm good or bad? If you must ask, then I'm a very good person. I'm a Hero, after all—my goal is to defeat the Demon Lord and save the world!"
Takumi grinned mischievously, his expression carrying a faintly wicked charm that made Eve's heart tremble.
Throughout her escape, she'd never had anyone she could trust. Even if Takumi wasn't a good man, he was still the only one she could rely on now.
After linking Eve to him and sending her to the Interdimensional Realm for breakfast, Takumi set Kureha down from his arms and turned his gaze outward.
Through his [Observation Eye], he could see a leopard-woman demon lurking beyond the ward barrier—probably one of the faction that wanted to push Eve into becoming the next Demon Lord.
But Takumi wasn't interested in talking. There was no point.
He also didn't join the others for breakfast. There was still something he needed to do first.
"The expeditionary army Kureha mentioned should be on the way… and the Mad Bull Tribe still chasing Eve… no, also the Night Hound Tribe."
Rising into the sky, Takumi activated Thousand-Mile Ear, listening to all sounds within a thousand-li radius.
In just a few breaths, he pinpointed the positions of all three forces.
Although the Jioral Kingdom's army had come to destroy Branicca and technically didn't threaten him directly, Takumi had grown fond of this place. He didn't want to see it ruined.
"You all should've just thanked the tavern's bear hotpot."
He muttered softly while gazing down at the city, then soared higher into the heavens.
His left arm glowed as the [Boosted Gear] covered it, the emerald gem pulsing faintly. His aura surged upward, magic power gathering like a storm.
"The gravitational magic I couldn't handle before… with my [Extraordinary Insight], I've just perfected it. Perfect time for a test run."
Smirking, Takumi pressed his palms together, releasing a violent surge of magic flame.
Whumm—!
Invisible ripples spread through the air. A tremendous gravitational pull drew meteor fragments from orbit and shattered nearby mountains, pulling them into the sky.
"[Heaven-Shattering Meteor]!"
Takumi's voice rang out. Three massive meteors appeared high in the heavens—then began their descent, burning bright under the pull of gravity.
Far below, the expeditionary army, the Mad Bull Tribe, and the Night Hound Tribe all felt an overwhelming pressure crash down upon them.
By the time they looked up, it was already too late.
A colossal shadow blotted out the sun—the sky itself collapsing under the incoming meteors.
Panic erupted. All three armies fled madly, but no matter how they ran, escape was impossible.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The earth trembled three times in succession. The devastating shockwaves stretched for thousands of miles.
Winds like roaring tsunamis crushed mountains and flattened the land within a hundred-li radius.
What had once been forest and plain collapsed inward, forming a vast, barren ravine.
The people of Branicca witnessed everything with their own eyes. Many fell to their knees, trembling and praying to the heavens.
If not for Takumi's magic barrier shielding the city, Branicca itself would have been obliterated by the aftermath.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
A flood of system chimes echoed in his mind. Takumi skimmed through them all—none caught his interest. No real dragons could be born among cannon fodder.
Low-tier traits were worthless to him now.
...
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