World, Coin, Seed (3).
Apologies for the delay, I had some unexpected events. A storm left me without power for a few hours, and the preparations for Christmas delayed this chapter.
I won't go on too much. If anyone wants to help me or read 3/7 chapters, that's possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still appreciate you reading! Thank you very much!
Oh, yes, my profile picture is the Padoru from Devas, some people asked.
As always, have a good night and a great read!
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
[11 Days Until the Return to Terraria]
I looked at the landscape before me. The lake's water was almost crystalline, reflecting the moonlight. The floating islands above the lake gave the place a mystical air, enhanced by the diverse vegetation on each island.
"It's exactly as you said. It's a beautiful scene." I said to Jinn, the only person awake on the ship besides me. "I'll assume it's because of Gravity Dust that these islands are floating."
"Exactly."
"How the hell was this formed?" I asked as she adjusted the ship for landing.
"Matsu Lake wasn't always a lake. It used to be a forest, with a massive vein of Gravity Dust beneath it—at least until one of the moon fragments fell in this region, creating a giant crater. From the crater, the lake was born, and from the fragments that scattered during the impact, the islands."
"I see..."
[AinzOoalGown]
It reminds me of a scene from YGGDRASIL. One of the dungeons, situated in the sky, had a similar landscape. Feels kind of nostalgic.
Ainz's message appeared in front of me on a screen resembling a video game interface, with bone-like borders. I let the message fade away naturally.
He was one of the few people still awake in the (CHAT-FATES) stream at this hour.
[Viewers: 2,726]
It was still a considerable number, though far from the ten thousand viewers the stream had reached earlier.
As Jinn landed the ship, I pulled up the stream screen and calmly checked the updates. The 'CCC' update I had already seen—it was the first thing that popped up earlier, though I wasn't a fan of the abbreviated name...
The first thing I looked for was the invitation update.
-//-
[Paid Invitation!]
Cost: 1 million SP.
Note: Only people from the current world of "The Streamer" can be invited.
Note: Invitations can only be sent to individuals within "The Streamer's" field of vision.
-//-
Was I surprised it had a cost? Not at all. Virtually everything in the stream came with a price; invitations were no exception. I won't lie—one million SP is steep, but given recent events...
[Current SP: 177,126,832]
...I could afford a few invitations.
My SP had skyrocketed thanks to the provisional viewers—and this despite the fact that, as I'd learned, they generated only half the SP of regular viewers. Of course, without the battle against Salem, I probably would've earned much less SP, as the SP generation heavily depended on what was happening in the stream.
I was tempted to upgrade the VoidBag again, but I held back. There were a few things I wanted to buy for the stream, and my inventory size was sufficient for now.
The second thing I checked was the stream messages. I ignored those regarding updates and focused on one that stood out...
-//-
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Due to external interference, a previously sent invitation has been temporarily revoked. As a result, the update for 10,000 viewers will be optimized and added to the current emergency mission rewards.
NOTE: After additional calculations, it has been determined that the external interference will not be eradicated from reality. Instead, it will be contained and distanced, as the world linked to the revoked invitation has been identified and registered as Rainbow Mission World.
-//-
"Well, this is new…" I murmured.
"What's new?" Jinn asked without turning, focused on piloting.
"One of the stream's invitations was temporarily revoked due to external interference." Who the hell did the stream try to invite, and what the hell interfered?
"Something can interfere with the stream? Was it an attack?"
"I don't know... But I don't think so. And if it was, the stream didn't even seem to consider it a threat..." From what I could tell, the only reason whoever interfered hadn't been atomized was that the target's world was considered appealing to the stream.
A world I will avoid, thank you very much!
The next thing I checked was the emergency mission. There were still some general updates I could read, along with a ping on my status—something I had already suspected, given that I could feel the change in my Semblance—but I set all that aside for now when I read that the mission reward had been upgraded.
-//-
[Emergency Mission! (Ticket) - (Part 2/2)]
Rarity: Amber
World: Remnant (RWBY)
Time Limit: 30 days (Maximum)
Mission Description:
Due to Ruby Rose unlocking her "Silver Eyes" earlier than expected and using them in battle, the "Queen of Grimm" became aware of her existence and sent one of her most loyal pawns, Tyrian Callows, to hunt her down. (COMPLETED!)
Stop him before he completes the mission given by the Queen. (COMPLETED!)
Reward: Vault Key (Random - Single Use) (COMPLETED!)
Note: Emergency missions derived from an Emergency Ticket have reduced rewards!
[...]
Description:
Your actions have disrupted the balance of a game that has been unfolding for millennia!
The Queen has accepted your 'invitation' and has begun to move. Her minions and her army follow her to war, heading toward the opposite side of the board, ready to fight whatever player lies on the other side...
Chess is a game of two players, and usually, the game ends when the King falls... But not in this case...
Objective: Remove the Queen from the board. (COMPLETED!)
Reward: ???, ???, ???, ??? OR ???
Bonus Reward (+10,000 Viewers!): Mini-Pylon (Accessory), A Rusty Coin (Consumable), Rainbow Mission Ticket (Consumable - World Locked).
Note: Emergency missions derived from an Emergency Ticket have reduced rewards!
-//-
First of all, before the bonus rewards… Why the hell are those things still question marks?! Do I really have to choose without knowing what I'm choosing?!
"You seem annoyed." Jinn poked my cheek before glancing at the screen in front of me. "Ah, I think I know why. Which reward will you pick?"
"… I don't know. If the two choices are equivalent, that means the single reward is as good as the other four combined… Quality over quantity?"
"Sometimes, quantity is better." Jinn shrugged and sat in the chair beside me. At the same time, a game-themed message popped into my view.
[AinzOoalGown]
My experience says the single reward is possibly the best, but the four are the safer option. Still, I'd go for the single reward.
"I feel the same way…" I murmured. "Let's check the bonus rewards first. I can decide that later."
Should I collect the rewards now, when the stream had fewer viewers?… No, that wasn't very 'professional' of me. But I was curious to find out what the hell that rusty coin was and how the Mini-Pylon worked.
With a tap, the rewards appeared one by one in front of me. A Rainbow Ticket, much like the one I already had, with the small difference that this one had three interlinked golden circles drawn on the paper. The description was also the same, with only one change: The world for this ticket has already been chosen.
I threw that bomb into the Voidbag and picked up the Mini-Pylon.
The moment I touched it, I felt a connection form between the object and myself. The Mini-Pylon resembled the one from HOTD, according to Saya's description, but it wasn't green and wasn't dozens of meters tall. It was attached to a chain—specifically, a necklace. I held it by the chain, which was gray.
The Mini-Pylon was at most two or three centimeters in size. It was black, with an orange eye in the center that appeared the moment the connection between us was established. The eye blinked randomly and always followed my gaze. No matter how I moved the necklace, it continued staring at me.
"Kind of creepy, isn't it?" Jinn flicked the Mini-Pylon, drawing the eye's attention to her for a moment. "It's the same shade as your eyes when they turn orange."
"Yeah, this thing is definitely linked to me." I replied, wasting no time analyzing the Mini-Pylon.
-//-
[Mini-Pylon (Devas) (Evolutive)]
Type: Accessory (Bound)
Rarity: Orange-Devas
Prefix: A Nameless Foreign World.
Durability: 1,000,000/1,000,000 (Regenerative) (Evolutive)
[Abilities:]
(1) Pylon Link:
The Mini-Pylon can connect to an existing Pylon network, allowing the user to teleport to any Pylon linked to the network without restrictions.
Note: Pylon Network not detected!
Note: A Pylon Network is formed by 2 or more standard Pylons!
(2) Dimensional Echo:
The Mini-Pylon can detect and attract echoes from dimensions outside "The Streamer's" current world. It can capture messages, summons, warnings, and distress signals.
[On/Off]
(3) A Nameless Foreign World:
Linked to the Nameless Foreign World, the Mini-Pylon acts as an intermediary, enabling communication between the Nameless Foreign World and other worlds.
Warning! The 'gravity' and 'weight' of a world can affect another, both positively and negatively.
Description:
A Mini-Pylon created with the will and essence of "The Streamer." Bound to your soul, it grows and adapts alongside your being.
An endless road...
A whisper of a non-existent voice...
A connection between two unknown points...
[...]
~ I am human; nothing human is foreign to me. ~
-//-
"This… is quite unexpected," I admitted, analyzing the information. Not that it was a bad thing, but it was definitely something I wasn't expecting to gain.
Was it due to the ten thousand viewers or the revoked invitation? Maybe a combination of both—or even all three, if you counted the emergency mission in the mix.
Either way, this was my ticket to HOTD and to any other world where I could install a Pylon in the future. Now, I just needed to find another Pylon... which would probably take some time.
"What is this Nameless Foreign World?" Jinn asked, reading the description beside me.
I had an idea of what it might be—a theory—but before I could respond, a voice echoed in my head.
("Devas, something appeared in here… I think you'd better come see this.") Ozma's voice sounded more confused than concerned.
("Tyrian, head to Nightmare Isle.") I ordered before turning to Jinn. I knew Ozma would be 'hiding.' "I'll be right back, watch the stream. I'll activate the spirit camera."
Closing my eyes, I wasted no time entering my Spiritual Realm. As soon as I smelled the sea, I opened my eyes, activated the camera, and got out of bed, jumping through the window. I could see what Ozma was referring to before I even hit the ground.
"Holy fuck…" I whispered, impressed. "What part of this thing is mini?!"
The Mini-Pylon had a version inside my Spiritual Realm. It floated above the sea, far from the main island and Nightmare Isle. Entirely black and colossal, its structure easily surpassed one or two kilometers in height, perhaps even more, while its width reached half of that.
Even floating and slowly spinning above the ocean, the mere existence of that structure answered Jinn's earlier question…
... The Nameless Foreign World was my Spiritual Realm.
[...]
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]
I take a nap for a few hours, and you go ahead and open your rewards while more than half the (CHAT) wasn't here. Not professional at all, DS, not professional at all...
Stark's message floated in front of me before being consumed by an explosion. Another message appeared as the blast faded, this time emerging from an envelope that burst out of a white pair of panties.
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]
Just because you don't need rest doesn't mean the rest of us don't! I missed the show. Care to explain why there's an alien structure inside your mind?!
(Emote of a generic guy pointing at a spaceship.)
"Your message came out of a pair of panties? What the hell is that about?"
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]
┬┴┬┴┤ ͜ʖ ͡°) ├┬┴┬┴
I let out a deep, slow sigh.
"I didn't open all the rewards. I just checked out the new rainbow ticket and the Mini-Pylon. I was curious about the latter. After it showed up here..." I gestured around at my Spiritual Realm. "I decided to study what the hell had changed."
I'd discovered a few things, but nothing overly significant. Although the stream referred to my Spiritual Realm as the Nameless Foreign World, everything here had become more... 'physical,' for lack of a better term. It wasn't quite like reality, but it no longer felt entirely illusory either. It was like a pale imitation, akin to a reflection on water—that was the best comparison I could think of.
It was easy to tell this wasn't solely due to the Mini-Pylon. In fact, the changes had started when I devoured the God of Light's divinity.
The Brother of Light represented 'creation,' and his divinity carried that concept as a core aspect. Since I had absorbed that divinity, my mana—and everything within this space—began imitating certain properties of it, just like what happened with Big G's divinity, particularly the parts tied to 'creation.'
[TohsakaHeiress]
What starts with "Re" and ends with "Ble"?...
(Emote of a chibi Rin pulling her hair out.)
"Nowhere near a Reality Marble, Rin. I can't even pull a potato out of here, let alone manifest this entire place into reality." Did I have an idea how? ... Maybe. The potatoes were for that—they were tests. But it wasn't something I could even begin to attempt in my current state.
If I managed it, even as a partial or internalized manifestation, it would give me another ace up my sleeve. Something even stronger than the prototype attack I was prepping in case the Brother Gods decided to show up.
That attack wasn't something I'd really trained in. It was more of a theory I had improvised, based on the gravity magic I'd 'learned' from Salem and using Shadowflame as a foundation. If the Brother Gods had appeared, I might have been able to, at the very least, scare them off and send the two of them straight to hell. But the odds of me dying if that had happened? One hundred percent.
Good thing that wasn't necessary. I really enjoy living.
After taking one last look at the Mini-Pylon, I closed my eyes and 'woke up' in Remnant. The first thing I saw was Neo's eyes, inches from my face.
"Personal space, ever heard of it?" I pressed a finger to her forehead and gently pushed her away.
"I think I know what it is, but I've never liked it." She laughed silently while signing. "Good nap?"
"I was meditating," I corrected.
"Same shit, different toilet."
"I'm totally stealing that line."
I looked around. Jinn wasn't on the Proto-A; I could sense her outside. I focused for a moment: Team RWBY was still asleep—their breathing gave them away. Qrow and Taiyang were awake and heading toward the control room, while Roman was in the ship's kitchen. As for Kali and Ghira... they were showering together, very together...
I stopped focusing and ignored that part of the ship. The voyeur here was Jinn, not me.
"I'm going to get breakfast. Want to come?" I asked the gnome. Millia jumped out of my shirt pocket and answered before Neo could.
"I do! I'm starving!" I blinked, then laughed.
"Sure, let's get you something to eat. And you, Neo, are you coming?"
"Is there ice cream?"
"If I said skipping breakfast for ice cream isn't healthy, what would your response be?"
"That you're not my dad," she signed quickly before pulling an obviously fake innocent face. "Unless you want to be my daddy~."
... Who's this message from?
Pink flames shaped like hearts exploded into my vision before a chibi lion appeared, carrying a message in its mouth and tossing it in front of me.
[AsuraLady]
The audacity of this little-mini bitch...
(Emote of a pink-maned lion eating ice cream.)
That emote could definitely be taken out of context, Saya...
Neo jumped onto my shoulders, wrapping her legs around my neck and holding onto my still-gray hair for support. I glanced up, meeting her gaze as she stared back down at me.
"Is Roman a saint?" I asked, breaking the silence.
She signed with one hand, her eyes never leaving mine: "He says that a lot. I never understood why."
"… Fascinating."
[…]
After a quick breakfast—interrupted halfway through by Team RWBY, groggy and with messy hair—I stepped out of the Proto-A while the girls went to shower. Ruby let Zwei run along the edge outside. The others followed me out.
"How much do you think land here costs? I wouldn't mind retiring in a place like this," Roman whistled, admiring the view.
Lake Matsu was as beautiful during the day as it was at night.
"I can agree with that. A lake for fishing... just need some beer," Qrow turned to me. "Barbecue?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking." I nodded, and he punched the air.
"We're here for a barbecue?" Taiyang raised an eyebrow at me, incredulous. "Seriously?"
"You thought there was a bigger reason?" I shot back. Not just him, but Kali and Ghira also nodded in agreement. Roman just shrugged while Neo poked a frog with the tip of her umbrella. "No, I just want a few days off without overthinking things. A barbecue is a good start."
Of course, I'd still train, kick off a few plans, and test some ideas, but overall, I wanted to relax. To treat these last days in Remnant as a sort of vacation before returning to Terraria.
With a snap of my fingers, two portable grills, various cuts of meat, beer, soda, fishing rods, bait, chairs, and a large table appeared beside me.
"I've got something to do; you guys can start without me." I waved them off. Qrow didn't waste time and began setting everything up. Almost like magic, Zwei appeared beside Qrow and sat down, silently waiting for the meat to cook.
Ignoring whatever the others were doing, I jumped away, landing easily on the floating island where Jinn was.
"Going to check out the other rewards?" Jinn asked as soon as she saw me. She was sitting at the edge of the island.
"Yes. And you? Why are you here?"
"I was enjoying the view. I know the place, of course, but it's my first time seeing it in person." She smiled, looking around. "It's more beautiful in real life."
I sat next to her, and we stayed silent for a few minutes, admiring the view. The island we were on was small, about twenty meters from the center to the widest edge. Most of the islands here weren't much bigger.
... I'll pull a few into the VoidBag later.
After some time, I pulled the rusted coin from my inventory and held it in my left hand. It was a simple coin with a rusty brown hue, about the size of a Terraria silver coin.
-//-
[A Rusted Coin]
Type: Consumable/Accessory
Rarity: Orange-Devas
Durability: 100/100
Uses: 1/1
Description:
A simple rusted coin, made of a simple material, with a simple purpose...
Drop a bit of blood on the coin...
Say your name...
Whisper a word...
Murmur a wish...
Then, wait...
[..]
~ Heads or tails?... ~
-//-
"Nothing suspicious about that description..." I murmured, suspicious. That 'Orange-Devas' seemed like a rarity exclusive to items the stream created just for me...
An explosion flashed before my eyes, cutting off my thoughts, and a message emerged from within it.
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]
That coin is freakishly voodoo. Just a heads-up: if you blow up, I'll be laughing my ass off.
(Iron Man emote eating popcorn)
I flicked the message, and it flew off before exploding. Then I turned my attention back to the coin. The stream hadn't done anything to seriously harm me—except, of course, kidnapping me—since I became a streamer...
I manipulated the coin with magic, shaping the air around it to make it float in front of me. Then, I bit my left thumb and let a single drop of blood fall onto it. After that, I began to speak.
"Devas Asura." I said my full name, just in case.
Interestingly, the word I chose was also my wish: "Peace."
The moment I spoke, the coin ignited, consumed by an orange flame, and changed. The rust disappeared, revealing a gray surface. I caught it mid-air with my left hand. An identical embossed design had appeared on both sides of the coin: a closed eye.
-//-
[A Coin]
Type: Consumable/Accessory
Rarity: Orange-Devas
Durability: 100/100
Uses: 1/1
Description:
A simple coin, made of simple material, with a simple purpose...
Wait for the right moment...
Flip the coin...
See which side lands...
[..]
~ Eye or Eye?... ~
-//-
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]
Now it's even more voodoo... Flip the coin already, let's see what happens.
Stark's message self-destructed before I could flick it away.
I decided to follow Stark's suggestion. Tossing the coin into the air, I let it fall to the ground. I had no idea which side landed since both sides had the same identical design. Nothing happened. Not even the coin's description changed.
"Not the right moment?" Jinn suggested.
"Probably." I stored the coin in my inventory. "I hope either the coin or the stream lets me know when it is, because I have no idea."
"Devas! Are you coming down?!" Ruby's voice reached me as I looked down in her direction.
["I'll be right there, just checking the rewards. Give me a second and stop Qrow from burning the meat."]
I transmitted my voice to her. Ruby gave a thumbs-up and ran toward the grill.
I pulled up the emergency mission screen.
"Four or one?" Remnant seemed to have a thing for the number four: four relics, four schools, four Maidens—each tied to one of the four seasons…
Four people: Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake…
I'd have to be an idiot not to notice that this reward had something to do with that. The first part of the mission gave me a key to one of the relic vaults. This one probably had a similar purpose, but the question was: involving what?
The relics again, the Maidens, or the girls?
I drummed the fingers of my left hand against my thigh. As I pondered, two gears appeared in my vision before colliding, producing a message.
[(MOD)Jarvis]
Would you like me to open a poll to assist with the decision, Mr. Devas?
(Emote of a robotic butler with a question mark over its head)
I had thought of doing that… But no.
"No, thank you, Jarvis, that won't be necessary. I've already decided." I replied, then clicked on the unique reward. Maybe it was the wrong choice, but it was the one I wanted to take.
The moment I selected the unique reward, the other four vanished, and a small box materialized in front of me. I grabbed it before gravity could take hold. Inside was a tiny, shriveled seed. I almost mistook it for a speck of dirt—it even looked slightly rotten.
-//-
[A Fragile, Rotten, and Almost Dead Seed]
Type: Consumable/Seed.
Rarity: Amber.
Durability: 4/1000000000000 (Devastatingly damaged) (Devastatingly weakened)
Use: Plant in fertile soil, and perhaps the seed will survive and grow…
Description:
A fragile, nearly dead seed of an ancient tree, rooted in the heart of the Ever After.
A flawed possibility of something that never was and never should have been.
An attempt from eons past, discarded as unnecessary shortly after its creation.
The seed clings to life, barely holding on, determined not to die until it truly does.
[..]
~ Born at the beginning, denying the end… ~
-//-
A trillion durability. How long has this seed been resisting death?
I immediately turned on the game room and looked over at Jinn, who stared at the seed with a curious and puzzled expression.
"What is Ever After?"
"… It's one of the few things I don't have information on," she admitted after a moment of hesitation. "I know where it is and how to get there, but I don't know anything about what's there—or what it really is."
"They didn't allow you that information…" I muttered. They, the Brother Gods. I held the seed gently between my right fingers. I had a feeling that if I wasn't careful, I might accidentally crush it. "How do we get to this place?"
"Atlas would have to fall for that. Without the Relic of Creation, it's impossible to get there—at least, that's what I know." She didn't seem pleased with her lack of knowledge.
Before I could respond, a snowflake appeared in my vision, exploding into ice, followed by a message.
[WinterSchnee]
I kindly ask that you don't drop Atlas from the sky. That would be bad.
(Emote of Winter Queen pleading.)
I blinked before scoffing. "I'm not a fan of genocide, Winter, don't worry." I was curious, but I wouldn't drop Atlas just to satisfy that curiosity.
A star shot across my vision, flashing white before sparkling in multiple colors, like a magical girl transformation. I knew who it was before the message even appeared.
[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]
Where are you planting the seed? Terraria?… If you want to keep it in your inventory and wait, I can find you a plot in the underworld right next to my mansion.
(Emote of a magical girl winking innocently.)
"I'm not planting it in Terraria, Serafall. And I'm sure planting something half-dead in the absolutely fucked-up soil of the underworld will help it grow nice and strong." The sarcasm in my voice was sharp.
I opened my right hand, letting the seed rest in my palm. My skin was still cracked, but it no longer bled gold, though the fissures still glowed faintly. I knew where to plant the seed the moment I touched it…
"I'll be back in a few seconds," I said as the seed disappeared from my hand.
… I felt I could pull it into my Spiritual Realm.
When I woke up in my bed at the beach house, I felt the seed in my right palm. I didn't bother informing Tyrian—he was still on Nightmare Isle, trying to plant something there. Ozma was watching the stream in the kitchen, sipping coffee. I jumped out the window and headed to the center of the main island.
Using my left hand, I dug into the earth, planting the seed with my right, then gently covered it with the freshly dug soil, using both hands. I didn't know if it needed watering, but I decided against it and waited. After about five seconds, the seed's status changed.
[Durability: 5/1000000000000]
[Durability: 6/1000000000000]
[Durability: 7/1000000000000]
Its durability increased by one each second.
"Either I'll have to wait about thirty thousand years, or I'll need to figure out how to speed up this thing's recovery…" I muttered. At least the seed was recovering, which was a good start.
After exiting my Spiritual Realm, I stood up, took a step forward, and jumped off the island. Jinn followed, falling alongside me. Before reaching the lake, she floated gently to the shore, landing next to the others. I simply kicked the air, using a double jump, before landing near the grill and snatching some meat right off it.
"You're going to burn your tongue," the self-appointed grill master, Qrow, remarked.
I tossed the scorching meat into my mouth, chewed, and shaped mana inside before exhaling fire.
"I'm pretty sure I won't."
… Unless I ate something as hot as the surface of the sun.
[...]
[10 Days Until the Return to Terraria]
"So, what's the plan for today?" Yang nudged me. We were in the Proto-A's kitchen, where I was organizing the storage room. "Why do you even keep this place stocked?"
"Because, while I have the VoidBag, my future crew won't." I kept organizing as I answered. "And to answer your first question: I'm not sure yet."
After getting everything sorted, with the girls' help—especially Ruby, who zipped around the storage room like a pink blur, welding petal trails of roses—we stepped outside the ship. Qrow and Taiyang were fishing by the lake's edge with Roman, while Jinn and Neo had jumped into the water and started swimming.
Kali and Ghira were lounging in the sun, lying on beach chairs I had given them. Well, at least Kali was; Ghira was too big for the chair and had sprawled out on the ground atop a blanket. Kali was wearing a black two-piece bikini, and Ghira had black beach shorts to match.
"Weren't your parents worried yesterday about Menagerie and everything?" Ruby asked Blake.
"...They were. Apparently, not anymore." Blake pinched the bridge of her nose. "They look like two oversized cats basking in the sun."
Theoretically…
I nudged Millia, nestled in my shirt pocket, just to let her know it was time for what Ozma and I had planned. I reassured the tiny slime not to be startled or take it seriously.
I coughed into my fist. "Well, anyway—Ugh?!" I groaned, clutching my head and pretending to be in pain.
"Devas?!" Ruby was the first to react.
Before she could get close, my vision tinged green at the edges. I let Ozma take control of my body—something we'd discovered he could do, like his previous incarnations. But unlike them, he could only take over if I allowed it.
It was utterly bizarre to have my body controlled without being able to intervene, so I pulled my consciousness deeper and retreated to my Spiritual Realm. I watched Ozma's performance unfold on the kitchen TV in the beach house.
"I can't believe this worked..." Ozma's laughter came through my mouth. Even though it was the same body, the voice was slightly different—the tone, pitch, even the rhythm. "I actually did it... IT WORKED! Devas trusted me, foolish enough to believe my words!"
My body began to float as Ozma controlled my mana, making the air around us ripple and spin rapidly.
Qrow and Taiyang turned their heads toward me, their eyes wide with alarm. Kali and Ghira looked up, startled. Jinn and Neo were too far away to notice... Ruby picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it at Ozma—my forehead.
"Professor Ozpin, please stop fooling around." Weiss shook her head.
Ozma sighed, as did I. None of the four even looked remotely worried.
"You could've let the act play out a bit longer..." Ozma ended the spectacle and landed. "What gave it away?"
"The stream wouldn't let Devas get possessed." Blake pointed out.
"He ate part of a god. There's no way he wouldn't do the same with your soul if needed." Yang chimed in right after.
"Even without those points, Devas would've resisted way more than just grunting once and stopping there." Weiss seemed unimpressed with my performance.
"Devas is Devas." Ruby shrugged.
"That was pretty silly." Millia poked part of her body out of my shirt pocket and scribbled quickly.
"I'm actually a bit embarrassed now." Ozma admitted, though my body didn't show an ounce of shame. I was, a little. "At least the others were worried."
"I was worried because I thought Devas had gone crazy!" Qrow shouted from a distance, standing up with a grin. "Oz, you old man, weren't you supposed to be dead for good?!"
"Devas helped me avoid death one last time." Ozma smiled at Qrow before moving my arms and jumping a few times. "I must say, Devas, your body is ridiculously abnormal. Even at my peak, I never felt this physically strong."
He threw a few punches into the air, causing shockwaves that scared away the nearby birds. I commanded Shadowflame to absorb the next shockwaves. Ozma stopped when a message popped up in his vision.
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]
Performance: 5/10, way too exaggerated. Megumin plays a better villain—improve yourself.
"I'm rusty, I won't lie." Ozma accepted Kazuma's comment gracefully. "Take back control, Devas; our prank flopped."
Ozma appeared beside me in the beach house kitchen. I waved at him before reclaiming control of my body. I activated the spiritual camera and mental microphone, now that Ozma's existence wasn't a secret anymore.
"Speaking of which, I forgot to do this yesterday. Here." I snapped my fingers, making a message appear in front of Qrow, Taiyang, Kali, Ghira, and Roman.
It cost five million SP—six, when Neo and Jinn got out of the water.
Jinn wore a golden two-piece bikini she had found after I emptied my inventory of swimwear for the girls to pick. The top tied at the shoulders with six cords, like a curtain, and the bottom fastened with three straps around her waist and thighs.
Neo was...not wearing anything. To everyone else, it seemed like she had on a frilly ice-cream-themed bikini in brown, white, and pink, but I could clearly see through her Semblance. She was entirely naked. Neo smiled and waved at me...she knew I could see through her illusion.
I made a point to keep my eyes on her face, for the simple reason that I didn't want to give her the satisfaction. Her pout lasted a second before she stretched... Slowly
... That little...
Lucky for her, the spiritual camera was only active in my Spiritual Realm, as it mirrored what I could see, which was everything. Neo might've been small in stature, but that was it.
"Accept the invite and pick a nickname." I glanced at Neo one last time before turning to the others, who stared at the air, surprised.
Six messages popped up seconds later:
[Invite sent to person: Qrow Branwen - Accepted! Nickname: BrowCranwen]
[Invite sent to person: Taiyang Xiao Long - Accepted! Nickname: LaiyangTiaoXong]
[Invite sent to person: Roman Torchwick - Accepted! Nickname: TheBestAndMostBeautifulThief]
[Invite sent to person: Kali Belladonna - Accepted! Nickname: KittyKali]
[Invite sent to person: Ghira Belladonna - Accepted! Nickname: Ghira]
[Invite sent to person: Trivia Vanille - Accepted! Nickname: Neopolitan]
It was impressive how nicknames revealed so much about people. Especially Qrow and Taiyang, who laughed like idiots, reminiscing about the Beacon days when they'd joke around by swapping the first letters of their names.
Ghira was a serious, succinct guy; his nickname reflected that. Kali was an older version of Blake, but with a sense of humor. Roman could probably choke on his vanity, and Neo was just Neo—plain and simple.
As soon as everyone finished setting their nicknames, a phone appeared in each of their hands. An instant later, an explosion of text filled my vision.
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]
Welcome to the madhouse! Read the rulebook — assuming one exists, I'm not entirely sure. I did make a manual with lots of love and care, so feel free to read that one; it's real. DS almost dies every other month, and a whole lot of chaos happens all the time! Grab a seat and enjoy the show!
(Iron Man emote with arms wide open in welcome)
Ozma's laughter echoed in my head and through the stream, courtesy of the mental mic. The rest of the day passed quietly, with no major events aside from Neo going out of her way to put on as many "shows" as possible.
[…]
[9 Days Until the Return to Terraria]
"He managed to force himself to rest for what, three days?" Yang commented from a distance.
"Not even that, it was two days and a few hours," Blake replied.
"At least he's only doing light work…" Weiss sighed.
I ignored the three of them and continued tinkering with the 3D printer Ruby had gifted me months ago. Ruby herself was by my side, helping out.
"We'll need to rework a few things… You said you wanted to print a small array of Mystic Symbols into bullets, right?" Ruby murmured, a pen between her teeth, before asking.
"Yes. I want to embed the array from the goblin armor into a batch of bullets. I'll adjust the array later, but I want to prep the printer now." That, and ensure I had several dozen more printers because one alone wouldn't keep up with the sheer volume of bullets I had in mind.
The goblins' array was still a work in progress. It was functional — I could just shrink it down and stamp it onto each bullet. The problem was, if I did that, I couldn't use the same array for Dust-infused bullets.
The array itself was complex: it scanned the user's mana and, if it wasn't goblin mana, absorbed as much as possible before imploding. It'd be simple to tweak the setting from "non-goblin mana" to "non-Devas mana." The same went for the Dust types; I could adjust those easily.
The real challenge was making the bullets absorb the Dust's mana and use it to amplify the explosion, but only at the moment of impact with a shield or body. Implementing that "when" condition was tricky. For that, I'd need to create an internal array inside another internal array, as the goblin one was already composed of two integrated arrays.
One array scanned the mana to identify if it was "hostile mana" or "unregistered mana that prevents implosion and/or explosion," while the other simply made everything go boom. On top of these two, I'd need to add a command like "Detonate only upon collision with target X." And all of this had to be compact enough to fit into bullets… It was going to be a lot of work.
[AinzOoalGown]
A bullet that absorbs the enemy's magical defense and not only bypasses it but explodes with absorbed mana? These bullets will be the nightmare of many mages. I know people who'd kill for that array.
"I'm fully aware of that," I replied to the message that emerged from a tomb. "I'm making this specifically for that effect. I saw a guy using similar bullets, and the aftermath of his targets wasn't pretty."
Had Kiritsugu made bad decisions in life? Almost all of them. Was he a jerk with no social skills? Most of the time. A questionable father and husband? Absolutely… But he was a phenomenal assassin — more than phenomenal, really, so much so that Alaya had personally "hired" him for her kennel.
While Ruby and I worked on the printer, the others were busy with their own activities. Blake and Kali were reading; Ghira was discussing fatherhood with Taiyang for some reason; Weiss was asking Jinn for tips on improving her Glyphs; and the rest — Yang, Qrow, Neo, and Roman — had set up a ring.
Yang and Neo didn't like each other; that much was obvious. They decided to settle it with a fight, turning it into a two-on-two match with Roman helping Neo and Qrow teaming up with Yang.
The worst part? It wasn't even a fair fight. While Neo was stronger and deadlier than Yang, Qrow could easily take her and Roman down with one arm tied behind his back, even with Roman's newly awakened Semblance. The guy could turn into smoke — which, I won't lie, was pretty cool — but Qrow had already figured out the trick.
Roman couldn't attack in smoke form, and all Qrow had to do was either wait for him to turn solid again or keep slashing at the smoke, preventing Roman from deactivating his Semblance. This forced him to burn through a ton of Aura, both because of his inexperience with it and its naturally high energy cost.
In the end, Qrow practically obliterated Roman and stepped aside to watch Neo and Yang duke it out. Neo ended up winning by a decent margin, which left Yang irritated. However, the fight seemed to satisfy her. Surprisingly, Neo refrained from provoking her — advice from Roman, I overheard. The shocking part? She actually listened.
Ruby and I finished setting up the printer in about an hour. I spent the rest of the afternoon updating the goblin array — which I really needed to name — while lounging on a chair by the lake.
"You don't want to go play?" I asked Millia. The little slime was resting on my chest.
"No… I'm sleepy after lunch. I'll take a nap," she replied. She practically melted right after that, basking in the sunlight. I chuckled and glanced toward the girls playing in the water.
Yang wore a yellow sports bikini with a heart-shaped cutout at the center, exposing a modest amount of cleavage. Her bottoms were tight-fitting boy shorts of the same color, as she mentioned preferring that style.
Blake went for something similar to Kali's: a black bikini. However, hers had white frills along the edges, and the top was adorned with cat ears. I didn't even know I had something like that in my inventory — she found it herself.
I really needed to take inventory of my inventory someday. That sentence was gold…
Weiss opted for a white bikini that made her almost glow under the sun, as everything about her was white: skin, hair, outfit. The top featured frills along the base of the chest, while the bottoms had an attached sheer mini-skirt on the right leg, ending just above her knee.
Ruby chose a red-and-black bikini. The top was split: red on the right and black on the left, each side accented with opposite-colored frills. The bottoms had an attached skirt, similar to Weiss's, but shorter, reaching just above her thighs. The bikini was black, while the sheer skirt was lightly translucent and decorated with red frills.
Jinn stuck with her previous golden bikini, while Neo actually wore one this time. It was likely because of their game, which involved physical contact — water football. Even so, I was certain that piece would disappear at the first opportunity she got.
The guys, myself included, wore only swim trunks. Ghira and Qrow chose black, Taiyang went with yellow, Roman picked beige, and I grabbed a gray pair. The funniest part was that my semi-nudity apparently triggered chaos mode in the "CCC."
[AsuraLady]
Devas is the hottest and most handsome. If you disagree, you're either blind, stupid, or both. My man is the best-looking, period.
(Emote of a lion with a pink mane and a nosebleed)
[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]
Our man, Saya-chan. And I totally agree, but honestly, no one there is ugly. Devas just seems like he's made of steel. Forget jawlines — you could grind diamonds on those abs… ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
[(MOD)JackMom]
Not disagreeing with Serafall, but Taiyang's build is more my type.
(Emote of a goldfish shrugging… somehow)
[So-Tan]
I don't have my sister's shamelessness, so I'll just say everyone's in great shape…
(Emote of a nerdy devil sighing and pointing at a magical girl holding a sign with 'D >>>')
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]
Look at this nonsense. If I wrote half of what they did, I'd be crucified. Unfair, in my opinion. That said, if we're voting, I'd say DS wins. Totally no homo, of course. ¯\(ツ)/¯
[(MOD)StarkAssistant]
Ghira… cough...
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]
Pepper?!
[MOD Jarvis has issued a 1-hour Time-Out to AdvocateOfGenderEquality]
[MOD Jarvis has issued a 1-hour Time-Out to Darkness]
[MOD Jarvis has issued a 1-hour Time-Out to Neopolitan]
[MOD Jarvis has issued a 1-hour Time-Out to BestToadSannin]
[MOD Jarvis has issued a 1-hour Time-Out to MiyaBeautyMoto]
Messages flew around randomly like fireworks, with no discernible pattern—some exploding, others drifting off into the distance before disappearing. The funniest part, though, was the TOs, especially Neo's, as she gave me a visible pout.
And they were all deserved. Jarvis had been instructed to cut off any comments that went too far in their "praise" or got overly descriptive. Kazuma was the only one whose punishment wasn't entirely warranted—he'd just vented a little too passionately about gender equality and how women could express themselves without facing repercussions.
If he hadn't used the worst words possible, he wouldn't have been penalized. The others, though, were one hundred percent for being way too graphic. Was Rei in heat or something? Darkness seriously needed a therapist, and Neo was just being Neo. The less said about Jiraiya, the better…
("I must admit, I didn't think doing nothing could be this entertaining.") Ozma's voice echoed in my head. The mental mic was off. ("I think reading the chat has become my new favorite hobby.")
"It is fun, especially during moments like this," I agreed.
I divided my focus into three parts. The majority was on the notebook I was holding, where I was working on the matrix. The second-largest portion was on the lake, keeping an eye on both the girls and the water. Even though I'd cleared out all the Grimm in the area, the lake had an underground connection to the sea.
I'd stationed a few Nightmares to keep watch over the tunnel, as well as in the shadows throughout the surrounding forest, but I still kept a general eye on it. Everyone here could defend themselves, but it was better to prevent the need for that in the first place.
The smallest part of my attention was focused on the guys. Qrow, Taiyang, Roman, and Ghira were playing cards. Zwei was sleeping under the table. The interesting thing was that all four of them were cheating—it was impressive, really. Still, Roman would probably win; the guy cheated better.
"Got room for one more player?" I asked, standing up.
"Are you going to cheat?" Roman asked.
"Obviously."
"Then there's room."
None of the other three protested.
[...]---[...]
First, about Neo: Devas, being who he is, will not do anything right now. I'll explain why in the next chapter. There's a reason, and whether you like it or not, if he did it, it would be a VERY BIG change in his personality up until now.
That being said, OMAKE-Lewd (non-canon) of Neo in the future. With no involvement in the story, by the way, it's totally skippable.
Now, the important parts, or not, depending on the person: the Mini-Pylon. This was a reward that was planned for Devas in the future by the stream, a 'control' to help him use the Pylons. Was he supposed to receive it now? No. This happened because of the upgrade in rewards. Changes occurred because of that...
The Nameless Foreign World... Devas' Spiritual Realm is on its way to becoming something. What? It's a spoiler to say, but it's not what you think. And Ainz was right, Devas was talking about his own attack.
As for The Coin, it was a reward exclusively for the 'upgrade,' thanks to one of the stream invitations being temporarily revoked. It's useless for now, but in the future, it will do something cool...
Finally, The Seed... I left that mess vague on purpose. Anyone who's watched RWBY and knows more about the series might have a vague idea of where this could lead; if you haven't, well, I recommend not looking it up, because I left it vague for a reason. But look it up if you want and comment with any theories.
I think that's it. Good night everyone, and enjoy the read!
PS: Chapter with 8,000 words, by the way.