Chapter 74: I'm Finally Home

Hey peeps!

Long time no see, huh? I'm sorry for the late update, but I was so busy. It's my last semester of CEGEP and I am now preparing for University. I also have a lot of projects going on in my courses therefore I haven't had much time to write and post any chapters. Not to say I'm abandoning it, but as you've seen, my updates are irregular and will continue to be as I try to find time to write.

So here's today's chapter and don't forget to leave comments!

Peace!

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Izumi was walking through the streets of the Capital. From left to right, he could see the civilians hard at work to rebuild the city from the recent invasion.

It has been two weeks since he killed Ehit. To be honest, Luck had mostly played a part in him defeating Ehit. If the god was at his peak, Izumi was sure he would've been destroyed even with his Reality Marble. However, due to à mix of the so-called God's arrogance, luck, and Izumi's abilities, Izumi was able to win. If Ehit had a cooler mind, he would've noticed that Izumi was taunting him and returned to the Sanctuary to get used to his new body.

As he walked, he saw a group of men working to repair an inn while the inn's owner was giving directions to the workers. When the workers saw him, they all brightened up and greeted him with admiration. News about his role in the invasion had spread throughout the whole kingdom, therefore, he was revered as a saviour along with the other students. Some children even ran up to him to ask for his autograph.

This was one of the rare times Izumi could feel himself fluster from the attention. He was never one to receive nor enjoy attention from others. It just wasn't for him. after quickly signing and greeting some of them, he used his invisibility technique to disappear from sight. He soon reappeared on the rooftop of an establishment near the castle overlooking the whole capital. He then sat down on the edge with his legs over it.

It was mostly the Capital that had been hit by the invasion, but thanks to Hajime and his party, Kyouko, and him along with his army of the golem, the casualties were kept to a minimum.

The whole week was chaotic. The princess of the country was swamped from the excess work due to her taking her father's position after the Church killed him. The headquarters of the Church had also been destroyed in the invasion. However, due to the sudden invasion as well as the god's descent to destroy the world, the whole situation was a mess. Unfortunately, due to the scale of the "war", no one could sweep the situation under the rug since the civilians witnessed everything. Therefore, Princess Liliana announced to her citizens that the whole thing was due to the demon and that the god who descended from the sky was a fake god who impersonated Ehit. If she had told the truth, Izumi was sure there would be a riot or something and all hell would break loose.

Therefore, everyone decided to stay and help the Capital recover from its damages. Izumi had lent some of his golems and they were diligently helping the civilians recover from the damages. With the help of Yue and Tio, Izumi helped repair the barrier around the capital along with some upgrades.

He had also gone to the Reisen Gorge Labyrinth to inform Miledi of their victory. Miledi had been really helpful since she was the one who provided the God-slaying Dagger. When Izumi informed her, she literally cried with joy on the spot and glomped him. Izumi was startled at first before hugging her back. He couldn't imagine living millennia alone and unable to do anything against a foe too powerful for her.

When the boy asked her what she would do now that her goal was gone, she simply replied with a smile and glanced toward a photo. He saw that it was an old photograph of her when she had a human body along with multiple others.

"I guess we'll see"

The relief and exhaustion in her voice stopped Izumi from asking what she meant.

"Izumi! There you are!"

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at the sky where a beautiful girl with black midnight wings slowly descended from the sky. As always, her mere presence brought a smile on the esper-mage's face.

"Kyouko. What's up?"

The girl patted her pants and her wings magically retracted from view. The girl walked up to the boy and sat down beside him and leaned into his chest.

"I was looking for you."

Izumi wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"What for?"

"Because." the girl replied with a smile.

Izumi let out a snort and the couple sat in silence as they watched the Capital below. Although, Izumi felt like something was going on with Kyouko.

"You know Izumi, I don't know much about you." the girl suddenly said.

The boy raised an eyebrow,

"What brought this on?"

Kyouko sat up and looked at Izumi,

"Like I said I don't know much about you. Heck, in our world's time, I've only known you for a little more than a month and a half. There's not much I know about you.

"Is that so?" Izumi replied.

The girl nodded,

"Back home, before everything, you were just this quiet guy who sat in the back of the class and bothered nobody. Heck, I didn't even know you existed."

Izumi's eyebrow twitched even if he knew his girlfriend didn't mean anything bad. It hurt a little nonetheless.

"Then you became this cute delinquent boy who saved my brother from the dog and started visiting us from then because Souta looked up to him. This boy then turned into Miyamura Izumi whom I know today. Or do I?"

Izumi frowned at her last question,

"Do I? What do you mean?"

Kyouko Hori stared at Izumi,

"Izumi. You were leading this whole double-life situation which I didn't even know of."

Izumi was about to say something, but the girl cut him off,

"I know. I know it was not my place to know and you weren't entitled to tell me. I was just a friend back then. I'm pretty sure you thought I was just a normal girl. Hell, I thought I was just a normal girl!"

Izumi stayed silent as the girl took a deep breath before continuing.

"However, because of this whole situation, I never had the chance to question it. But now... Now that Ehit is gone and we will soon go back home, I can't help but question it?"

"What?"

Izumi's heart started pounding.

'Is she going to say what I think she's going to say?'

"Izumi, was the boy I know just a lie?"

"Eh?"

Izumi froze. What is she talking about?

"The Izumi I knew before all this, was it just a persona? Was it even real?"

'oh. Oh!'

"No. Nononononono." Izumi quickly said.

"No?" Kyouko asked with a confused and sorrowful face.

"Wait! No! That's not what I meant. Give me a sec."

Izumi closed his eyes and took a deep breath and turned back to the girl. When he looked at her, Izumi could see Kyouko looked like she was bracing for something. To reassure her, he took her hands,

"Kyouko, I think you might be mistaken about something."

"What?"

Izumi smiled,

"Everything I showed you was my real self. Every action, word, and intention. It was all me. There is no scheme or anything behind it. I really do love you. Even back in our world."

Blush crept up the girl's cheeks,

"R-Really?"

Izumi nodded,

"Yeah. From the bottom of my heart."

The girl looked down with a complex expression,

"O...Oh. Sorry. I'm sorry for doubting you."

Izumi didn't like seeing her like that. However, he understood her concerns. To be honest, their relationship had progressed really fast. It also helped that they were under a high-stress situation He even feared that their whole relationship was due to the suspension bridge effect.

But, he knows. He knows what he feels is real and he didn't want to lose it. Even if he only knew her for a few months. But was he going too fast?

"It's okay. Here's an idea."

Kyouko looked up at him,

"When we get back, let's go on a proper date."

Kyouko looked at him and shone the most beautiful Izumi could ever see at him,

"I'd like that," she whispered.

"It's a date then!"

Kyouko giggled and leaned into Izumi's shoulder,

"For the record, I liked you too when we were back home. I just didn't know how to process it."

Izumi let out a grin and they sat like that in peace.

'I'm sorry Kyouko. I'll tell you the full truth when I'm ready.'

***

"So what's going on?" a boy with dark hair covering his eyes.

He also wore a large assassin coat and to be honest, he had crazy concealment skills. Even with his Haki, Izumi had a hard time finding Endou. It was like he was part of nature. Everyone would notice a human beside them, but they would all ignore a rock on a road, right? Kosuke Endou was like that.

As of now, the students along with Aiko-sensei and Princess Liliana were all gathered in the dining hall. Apparently, it was the same hall where they first gathered after being summoned by Ehit. Izumi looked around, by a stroke of luck, everyone except for Shimizu Yukitoshi, the dark summoner Hajime killed back in Ur, Nakamura Eri, the psycho yandere, and Hiyama Daisuke, the traitor, was all alive. The past two weeks they all helped with the reconstruction or simply mingled. Although, Taniguchi Suzu had a vacant look after seeing her best friend being murdered. In fact, No one seemed to know how to approach Izumi or Hajime after seeing them kill their classmates even if they were justified. Hell, Suzu always seemed to find a way to disappear from the black-haired teen's sight. Not like it matters to him. Although, it seems the buff guy of the class, Sakagami Ryutarou, was beside him. It seems like something happened between them since they were sitting closer than usual.

The benches were filled up completely. On Izumi's right were Kyouko and Aiko-sensei. On his left were Hajime and his party consisting of Yue, Shea, Kaori, and Tio.

A fun fact, about Yue, is that after being possessed by Ehit and overcoming his influence with everyone's help, she inherited a portion of his ability such as the ability to change her appearance as well as (Divine Edict). However, her (Divine Edict) wasn't as strong as the false god himself. Now she can transform herself into a seventeen-year-old girl and, in Izumi's honest opinion, she was beautiful.

Of course, Kyouko is even more. Nothing will change his mind.

Hajime won't have to worry about being called a lolicon anymore.

Phew!

"Ahem!"

Izumi cleared his throat and looked at his audience who looked at him. After his feats during the invasion, the students looked at him with some sort of respect which gave him mixed feelings. However, It was now time to discuss.

" Let me first share with you some good news."

All of the students in the Hero party perked up.

"We have managed to find a way back home."

At first, no one spoke. Then Shizuku spoke,

"Really? This is not a joke, is it?"

Izumi grinned and the Key of the Beyond appeared in his hand. Its crystal glinted under the light of the hall.

Whispers of wonder were let out.

"What's that?" asked Kouki.

"This is the Key of the Beyond. Using a unique brand of magic, Kyouko and I were able to create this key." Izumi said.

Everyone listened with rapt attention.

"It has the ability to open portals... Even across dimensions." Izumi finished.

"A-Are you serious?" one of the guys asked.

Izumi could see the desperate hope in their eyes. Although it had been only a few months for him, it had been over four months for the summoned.

Izumi nodded.

At that moment, everyone burst into joy and excitement. Some hugged each other, some cried, and some screamed. Aiko-sensei had a huge smile as tears brimmed her eyes. Kyouko grabbed Izumi's hand and squeezed a little. The latter squeezed back in reassurance. Even Hajime had a smirk on his face.

"But wait! Before all that, I must tell you something first!"

Everyone quieted down. Izumi sighed.

" This key cannot be used indefinitely. It only has enough magic power to allow two Gates at the same time and has a cooldown of a month after every two gates. But that's not all. In fact, what I'm going to tell you is extremely important and will serve you as a warning."

Hajime and Aiko-sensei frowned as they heard the boy's words.

"A warning?" asked Kaori.

Izumi turned to her and nodded,

"Yeah. Since you now possess supernatural powers, your life back on Earth will never be normal."

"Of course! We have magic!" one girl exclaimed.

"That's true. But that's not the only thing. Earth... is not what you think it is. Just like a coin, it also has two sides: the mundane and the supernatural."

"Supernatural?" asked Shizuku.

"Are you saying Earth has magic?" asked Kouki.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. But that's not all. What do you know about myths and legends?"

"Like Susanoo and Yamato-No-Orichi?"

"Zeus and the Olympians?"

"Odin and Thor?"

Some students enumerated some myths and legends. However, one by one, eyes widened and breaths were caught.

"No... way," whispered Kaori.

"Yes, way. All those myths are real."

"Are you serious!"

"Stop lying!"

That's when Kyouko stepped up,

"He's not lying!"

Her wings burst out of her back,

"I am the proof! These wings are not because of Ehit, I have them because I'm not fully human."

Izumi turned to her and whispered,

"Are you sure you want to tell them?"

Kyouko nodded and Izumi let her be.

"What are you talking about Hori-san?" asked one of the girls.

"My father is a human, but my mother is a fallen angel. On the biblical side."

"How do you know? You didn't even know you had wings!" Kouki asked.

"Because there is no way Ehit could ever create me. You've seen him. You've fought him. The whole story the Pope told is all bullshit!"

The room quieted down.

"If what you say is true, how come we've never seen them?"

"Magic. There is also the fact that science has advanced so far, it has overtaken myths and magic. That's why the supernatural world decided to separate itself from the mundane world."

"Does that mean gods and monsters exist and live among humans?" another student asks.

"That's right."

That's when whispers broke out. The joy and excitement turned into worry and panic.

"Calm down!"

When the quiet returned, Izumi spoke once again.

"You don't have to worry about them," he reassured.

"How come! You just said that monsters exist! They could try to kill us all! Like Satan, does Satan even exist!?"

"First, there isn't a Satan,-"

Some students let out a breath of relief,

"They're are four."

"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!"

Izumi frowned,

"Calm down. The four Satans are not actually Satans. They are positions held by the four leaders of the Biblical Hell. Although, they are just as strong as the original Satans."

Kyouko whispered to Izumi with a sweatdrop,

"That doesn't exactly help Izumi."

"Hm." Izumi shrugged, he turned to the crowd who was on the verge of panicking.

"Anyway, like I said. Myths are real and magic exists on earth. Now, I don't care what you do back on earth. You can hide your power or join one of the organizations if you want. Because, let me tell you, a group of more than thirty people with mana arriving all at the same time in a spot will grab the attention of multiple powers in the world. If you want to hide, I can give you this bracelet," Izumi produced a black bracelet in the palm of his hand.

"This bracelet has the skill (Concealment) imbued in it. It will allow you to lower your presence and hide your mana to allow you to live like a normal human. I would recommend you to take it as you don't know what's out there back in our world."

"However, should you refuse the bracelet..."

A pressure suddenly appeared and the students could see a sharp glint in Izumi's eyes,

"Then you better not drag the rest of us as I like my life and I don't need pests bothering me."

The pressure suddenly subsided and the students caught their breath.

"Any question?"

No one asked,

"Good. I will give you more information about the supernatural world and its occupants when we go back home. I'm sure you are all eager to go back home and see your families."

That's when Izumi facepalmed,

"Right, I almost forgot. I don't have anything with you telling your parents what happened. However, try not to show off. Now, who wants the bracelet?"

Everyone got up and Izumi distributed the bracelets to everyone. Then they all packed their gear and stuff they would bring back home.

***

Everyone was now standing in the castle's courtyard. Every student was wearing the uniforms they had worn before being summoned. Hajime decided to modify his metal arm and made it more human-like. And with Izumi's help, the arm was now a mix of organic and non-organic material. It now looked like a normal arm with real skin, however, its power was hidden beneath the skin. He had also dyed his hair black and created a magical bionic eye which looked identical to his old eye. He now looked like a buff version of his old self. Tio, Shea and Yue hid their supernatural features such as rabbit ears or fangs.

A crowd gathered around the students with the princess in front. She turned to Izumi,

"Is this a final goodbye?" she asked

Izumi turned to her and was surprised to see her talking,

"No, As I said, the key allows us to travel through dimensions. Therefore, we can come to visit this world."

Liliana smiled as red dusted her cheeks. Unbeknownst to Izumi, Kyouko was glaring at the girl which sent chills down Izumi's spine.

'What was that?'

He looked around, but saw nothing,

'Nevermind."

Izumi turned to everyone,

"Alright! I will now open the portal!"

Izumi summoned the Key of the Beyond and thrust it forward as if inserting it in a keyhole. Ripples spread out in space where the tip of the key disappeared. He felt a huge amount of mana being sucked from the key to activate its function.

That's when something happened.

[You are now returning to your homeworld from your first multiversal travel without the Chat Group's aide.

As this is the first time, you will return to the moment you initiated your travel.

Welcome back!]

'Huh? I almost forgot about it. Now that I think about it, how are the others doing on their mission? Since I didn't see any message, I can assume they didn't finish it.'

The ripples of space became more pronounced until the space distorted and twisted around the key when, finally, there was a cyan-blue portal showing the night on the other side. Izumi recognized the park of their homeworld.

Cries of joy and excitement could be heard from behind him. Izumi slowly took a step and went through the portal. The temperature dropped as he recognized the air of Japan he grew up with. With a wide smile, he turned around and saw the hopeful look on the other side of the portal.

"Come on!"

The students practically ran to the other side. The natives of Tortus waved goodbye with Liliana having tears running down her cheeks. Izumi saw Kyouko cross the portal and look around. She then looked at Izumi and ran up to him to give him a bear hug.

"W-We're really back, right? It's not a dream, right? You really did save me, right?" she whispered

Izumi hugged her back,

"It's not a dream, Kyouko-chan. Welcome back."

Kyouko looked at Izumi with teary eyes,

"I'm finally home."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Author's note)

With this chapter, the Arifureta arc has now come to a close.

It's been a long one, huh?