[12] : End of the 100-Year Contract (I)

Dimensional Rift.

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In that infinite space separating all parallel worlds, acting as a kaleidoscopic wall, one could observe, somewhere in the dimensional rift, a multitude of crystal creatures.

From small, almost insect-like forms no taller than two meters to giants towering 500 meters high, blending impossible shapes and sizes.

They all shared one thing in common: strange crimson cores within their transparent bodies, making them even more enigmatic to behold.

These creatures, known as Phrases, marched toward a particular world with a single purpose: to destroy its civilization and, amidst the ruins of living beings, find their Queen.

Atop one of the gigantic superior-ranked Phrases, shaped like a whale, stood a humanoid figure leading the army of millions.

This being, unlike its companions, bore a human-like appearance, but everything about it was made of crystal, from its hair to its eyes.

It was the pinnacle of its invasive race.

The Phrase, with an expression of fury, recalled the humiliating defeat it had suffered at the hands of a "human" who had self-proclaimed as the protector of that world.

"Is that damn bastard still there? Surely he's dead by now, right? He's just a human; time should have annihilated him! Or has it?!" the Phrase roared, visibly irritated.

Ninety years ago, an army of millions of Phrases had invaded that world with the intent of eradicating its civilization.

Their mission was twofold: destroy or find their Queen, following her traces between worlds.

But when they attempted to breach the Dimensional Rift to allow their army to pass, a golden-haired young woman appeared, clad in an astral Qipao, wielding a key that resembled a staff.

With a whisper, she said:

"[Segva]."

And thus, the entire dimensional rift was sealed, closing the entrance to that world and preventing the invaders from entering.

Then, the world's protector, the infamous human, appeared and defeated the entire army in a battle that lasted 15 days.

In the end, only this humanoid Phrase managed to escape, terrified, leaving the others behind.

Since that day, there had been no more invasions of humanoid Phrases.

However, the race never stopped sending low, medium, and high-ranked Phrases with a single goal: to weaken the human.

What they didn't realize was that, far from affecting their enemy, these invaders became useful materials for him, allowing him to forge magical weapons and tools.

The Phrases' material was perfect for channeling magical power, and although Aiden cursed them for not letting him rest, the benefits were undeniable.

"He must be dead, he must be... He was just a human, albeit a powerful one; his body should have weakened over the years," the humanoid Phrase murmured as it commanded its army.

Like him, other humanoid Phrases marched with the same goal: revenge, ambition, and the desire to find the Queen.

"If I find that arrogant human and he turns out to be an old man, I'll kill him with my own hands! And the Queen will be mine! I will be the sovereign of my race! I will invade world after world and bring them under my banner!" it shouted furiously as the whale it stood on advanced swiftly through the dimensional rift.

Some of its companions heard its words and laughed but said nothing.

Deep down, they all shared the same goal.

Although most longed to devour the Queen and claim her power, not all thought the same way.

Some humanoid Phrases remained loyal to the Queen, awaiting her return, even if their method of finding her was through the destruction of civilizations.

[*]

After advancing for some time in the dimensional rift, the humanoid Phrase, with its powerful abilities, saw something in the distance that left it paralyzed.

"W-What!?" Its body trembled, unable to believe what its crystal eyes were witnessing.

A solitary human figure sat on a golden, floating throne, suspended in the dimensional rift.

His white hair, almost ethereal, and tired golden eyes emanated an unsettling calm.

With one hand, he gently stroked the hair of a girl resting on his lap.

The imposing presence of that being made all the humanoid Phrases feel... strange, as if something in the air had shifted.

"Impossible!! He was just a human! I made sure to confirm he wasn't a filthy elf, demon, or fairy... He was a HUMAN!"

With its abilities, it had clearly seen that Aiden was, in fact, a human.

But what it was seeing now defied all logic.

"How the hell does he still look the same as 90 years ago!?" roared the humanoid Phrase, its body trembling with rage and terror as it felt those golden eyes fixed on it.

Suddenly, Aiden, without moving, whispered with his lips:

"Found you…"

'NO! I must escape!' thought the Phrase, desperate.

'It's impossible to win like this... And if he's here, there's no way to open the entrance to that world… because of that girl with him!'

With incredible speed, it turned around, and in an instant, bent its knees to propel itself in the opposite direction.

—Boom!

With a colossal leap, it shot off, fleeing from Aiden.

But to its horror, a shimmering, colorful rift appeared in front of it.

A second later, Aiden's voice echoed softly in the air:

"[Michael: Lataib]"

A key emerged from the spatial distortion and, with lethal speed, pierced directly through its body.

—Stab!

"NOOOO!!! My dream! It can't end here! I will become the new sovereign!!"

The humanoid Phrase tried to resist, but it could do nothing when it heard Aiden's voice again, this time colder, more definitive:

"Disappear like the trash you are…"

"[Michael: Jerez]"

At that moment, the humanoid Phrase felt absolute horror: its body began to disintegrate, its molecules breaking apart.

"No, no, no…! Forgive me! Please! I'll serve you! I won't invade any more worlds…!" it cried desperately as its form dissolved into unstoppable destruction.

"Monster! Something like you shouldn't exist…!"

Aiden didn't respond.

In a second, he pulled [Michael] from its body, and then the portal closed, leaving the Phrase reduced to dust, with no trace of its existence.

It all happened in less than 10 seconds.

Its companions, paralyzed by the scene, couldn't react in time.

Although one of them had quickly fallen, the Phrases had no intention of retreating.

They didn't believe they would lose with their entire army, so one of the commanders furiously shouted orders.

"Charge!!!" roared one of the humanoids, staying behind to watch as its army launched itself at the being who remained seated on his golden throne.

In that instant, hundreds of golden portals began to open behind Aiden.

From those portals, rains of swords, spears, axes, and enchanted weapons poured down, as if the heavens themselves had unleashed their fury upon them.

It was a spectacle of lights, a rain of destruction that pulverized the lower- and mid-rank Phrases with a single strike.

Then, the same weapons disappeared into the golden portals, only to be fired again, over and over, like infinite bullets.

"Impossible!!" one of the humanoid Phrases who had stayed behind widened its eyes, completely in shock, at the chaos unfolding before it.

The weapons fired from Aiden's [Gate of Babylon] continued to decimate the cannon fodder, taking down over 20,000 Phrases in a matter of minutes, most of them of lower and mid-rank.

But Aiden didn't move from his throne. He kept speaking calmly, stroking the head of the girl resting on his lap.

To Aiden, these enemies no longer posed any challenge.

It had been 90 years since he reached Level 10 in the [Falna], and since then, his power had grown enormously.

He no longer relied on the [Falna] to become stronger, as it seemed he couldn't level up again.

Or perhaps in this world, there was no being capable of pushing him to Level 11.

In short, Aiden no longer had to worry about the Phrases.

Not even if their entire army united against him.

Kotori, sitting on his lap and watching the battle in the distance, curiously asked:

"That humanoid Phrase you took care of yourself—did you hold a grudge against him or something?"

The other girls in his soul also seemed curious.

"That was the only one who escaped during the war 90 years ago… and back then, he was quite annoying. He said something like, 'When you're an old man, I'll kill you and that girl with the key,' and then he ran away," Aiden answered unhurriedly.

Kotori nodded, twirling a strand of her red hair, styled in two pigtails, around her finger.

"In other words, you got annoyed when that bug said he'd kill your woman, and you killed him when you saw him again, right?" Kotori summarized Aiden's true feelings.

"Hahaha…" Aiden could only laugh awkwardly, knowing deep down that she was right.

In Aiden's soul, the other girls also heard and were speechless for a moment.

[*]

Mukuro: Nushi-sama… were you angry because of Muku? Did you remember the face of the insect to kill him, just because he insulted Muku? I love you~!

Nia: …..Cute.

Kurumi: …..Cute.

Miku: …Darling, it's cute.

Tohka: …..Mukuro, stop blushing and muttering over and over again. But I also think it's cute.

Yuzuru: ….Affirmation: Cute.

Kaguya: ….The daughters of the hurricane think so too.

Origami: …Cute.

Natsumi: ….He's very overprotective, but it's also cute.

Yoshino: …Cute.

Yoshinon: …Hya~ it's kind of cute, even though he's already 120 years old. He hasn't changed at all.

[*]

Meanwhile, in the dimensional rift, Aiden continued destroying the cannon fodder, which numbered in the millions, until the heaviest part of the army appeared.

[***]

End of the chapter.

(•_•)

A/N:

In the next chapter, I'll include the Level 10 status in the author's notes.

By the way, there won't be a chapter tomorrow because I have some matters to attend to.

The days I publish chapters are indicated in the novel's description: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

That makes a total of five chapters per week.

I maintain this pace because my writing speed isn't very fast, and I also have to take care of things in the real world.

Anyway, don't worry, I have no plans to abandon this fanfic.

So, dear reader who enjoys my story, thank you for reading~!

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[Image of Kotori] ←

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[You can put images of the waifus here if you'd like] ←

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