Chapter 179

[Third Person's PoV] 

Shadow gracefully landed on top of the ruins and rubble of a building, holding Zeta in a princess carry as his long coat fluttered in the wind behind him.

"Crazy place for a date, right?" Shadow said with a smirk. As he set Zeta down, his shadow outfit morphed into something more modern—a black loose hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, fitting the world they found themselves in.

"Uh, Master, where are we?" Zeta asked, her eyes wide as she took in the desolate surroundings.

"We're back in my old world," Cid replied, scanning the destruction around them. "The world I was in before I reincarnated into ours. And it looks like we're in Japan."

"You used to live in a place like this?" Zeta asked, her voice tinged with shock.

Cid chuckled, shaking his head. "God no. It looks like everything went to hell after I died. Here, let me show you how this world used to look." He used his light magic to project a holographic image of the city as it was before—vibrant, bustling, and full of life.

Zeta examined the image, her eyes filled with wonder. "It looks beautiful. What could have happened here to cause all this destruction?"

"Magic…" Cid's voice was low, almost regretful.

Zeta looked at him, confused. "But don't all worlds have magic. How could that be?"

"Some worlds didn't have magic, especially this one" Cid confirmed. "At least, not until recently. Magic wasn't supposed to exist here. But after I died, something must have changed. Not all dimensions possess mana, Zeta. Our world didn't have a single ounce of it until a dimensional clash happened. A dimension filled with magic collided with ours, spilling its magic into our world. That's how magic came to be in our world."

Zeta listened intently, absorbing every word. "So, this world is going through a dimensional clash now?"

Cid nodded, his expression darkening. "It seems so. But there's more to it than just that. I can sense the residual power and energy of a Monarch. They just can't leave me alone, can they?"

"Are we going to fight him, Master?" Zeta asked, curious.

"Hmmm, not just yet. I want to see the state of the world first," Cid replied thoughtfully. "Besides, the coward is hiding in his dimension, using monsters to slowly conquer this world."

Zeta nodded, then looked Cid up and down, noticing his change in attire. "Is this the clothing of this world, Master?" she asked, transforming her shadow outfit into a similar look, a black hoodie and jeans.

Cid chuckled. "Yeah, but you don't have to wear what I'm wearing. Come on, I'll take you to see the different clothing of this world. And remember, don't call me Master. Call me Minoru since we're undercover."

"Minoru?" Zeta repeated, puzzled by the name.

"It's the name I had during my time here," Cid—now Minoru—explained, as he jumped down from the rubble, Zeta following closely behind.

"Do I get an undercover name as well, Mas—uh, Minoru… that feels weird to say," Zeta muttered.

"Do you want one?" Minoru asked with a playful grin.

"I usually go by Zetan when undercover, but since you know this world better, I think it's best if you pick."

"You know I'll just pick something stupid, right?" Minoru teased.

Zeta smiled. "You picked my name as Zeta; it can't be that bad."

"Alright, if you say so. In that case… I shall now call you Zelda," Minoru announced proudly.

As they were about to walk away, Zelda got distracted by some nameplates and the strange symbols on them. "Tanaka," she read out loud. "It's in one of the languages you taught us, Mas—uh, Minoru. This is going to be hard to get used to."

Minoru smiled, recognizing the place. 'If I remember correctly, this should be where Beta was drawn to in the manga. Heh.' He opened the door. "Let's go inside."

As they entered, Zelda wrinkled her nose in disgust. "This place smells… horrible," she said, covering her nose.

"Of course it would. It's been abandoned and uncared for years," Minoru scoffed, heading to what looked like a bedroom, where bones were scattered around with bite marks on them.

Minoru stretched out his hand, his expression thoughtful. "Arise," he commanded.

From the bones, black wisps emerged, forming the shadowy figure of a Japanese boy with glasses, floating cross-legged in the air. "Tell me what you know," Minoru ordered.

The shadow soldier spoke in a monotone voice, "I just remembered I was Masterbaiting to this really good hentai, I was then really close when suddenly this demon dog burst through the window and bit my dick off, after which it killed me—"

Minoru released the soldier with a sigh, rubbing his face in exasperation. "Forget it."

Meanwhile, Zelda was examining the clothes she found, she changed her shadow outfit into a black and gold schoolgirl swimming attire. She adjusted the spaghetti straps, making sure everything was in place. "These are quite tight on the chest area," she remarked.

Minoru turned around and couldn't help but grin. He clasped his hands together in mock prayer, "Thank you, Absolute Being, for the magnificent gift of life you have bestowed upon me today."

Zelda continued adjusting the outfit, oblivious to Minoru's reaction. She adjusted the suit around her butt snapping the clothing in the right place. "This outfit is strange, It offers no protection," she commented.

Minoru walked up to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. She pressed her body against his, her large chest area brushing against him. Her cat-like eyes looked at him with innocent curiosity.

Minoru leaned in and stole a kiss, catching her by surprise. Zelda melted into the kiss, embarrassed but not resisting. "That outfit is for swinging, Zelda, not walking around… Although, if you do choose to wear it around me, I wouldn't complain," he murmured with a smirk.

"Eh, really?" Zelda asked, seeing Minoru nod in confirmation.

But then she paused, frowning slightly. "Wait a minute, why are we using our code names when it's just the two of us?"

Minoru froze, realizing the oddity of it. "Good question… which I don't have an answer to," he admitted awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

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