Chapter 256

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

The tectonic plates fractured, and everything on the earth was annihilated as it touched the expanding black sphere.

This was a spatial explosion caused by the earth's spiritual power twisting space. If this had occurred in a planar world, that world would undoubtedly have been torn apart and destroyed.

Those three magicians—Isaac Westcott, Elliot Woodman, and Ellen Mathers—wanted nothing less than the destruction of the world. They were the only magicians left, and their hatred drove them. Their magician's village had been discovered and destroyed by the local government, fearful of the magicians' power. Only these three survived because they were away from the village at the time.

Their rage blinded them, and they sought revenge, wanting to show their power to those who feared magicians.

The pitch-black sphere spread incredibly fast, expanding to cover the entire prairie in an instant. In a matter of seconds, it engulfed the first city, wiping out millions of inhabitants.

If a powerful individual with knowledge of the rules had been present, they would have noticed something peculiar. The people on the verge of annihilation did not disappear but were instead sent thirty years into the future.

In the end, the pitch-black sphere destroyed one-tenth of the Eurasian continent before it finally stopped and slowly disappeared.

At the epicenter of the space earthquake, the light and shadow of a figure appeared. In the shocked eyes of the three magicians, this light and shadow were instantly sucked into the fractured space, unable to be contained by it.

Takumi and Tokisaki Kurumi observed all of this unfold from above. Kurumi looked down at Takumi's hand, which was holding her waist. Her cheeks reddened slightly, and she tapped her lips with her finger.

"Are we going to wait for all the spirits to appear next? But...!"

She knew the reason why the 'spiritual crystals' could be used by her was that they had been forged at the cost of countless girls' lives. Initially, 'spiritual crystals' could not be integrated into human bodies to turn them into 'spirits.' The violent power of the 'spiritual crystals' had to be purified through the bodies of these girls. Those who became filters turned into 'monsters' because of the violent power.

Her best friend from her school days, Sayaka Yamada, was one such 'filter.' At that time, Kurumi had also been attacked by those who had turned into monsters. The 'Origin Spirit' had saved her and then tricked her into killing the girls who had turned into monsters. At the time, she had been suffering from a Chuunibyou phase, truly believing she was the demon destined to save the world.

She hadn't realized the truth until the 'monster' she killed transformed back into her best friend, Sayaka Yamada. Then, the 'Origin Spirit' erased her memories and sealed them away in the 'spiritual world.' Later, she managed to recover her memories through the 'Emperor Clock,' and she began collecting 'time' in order to return to the past.

And now, she had met this young Creator who was seeking the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life.'

Now she realized that even if she went back to the past after collecting 'time,' she wouldn't stand a chance against the 'Origin Spirit.' She would inevitably be killed. After all, the 'spiritual crystals' were a part of the 'Origin Spirit'—a fragment of the 'Kabbalah Tree of Life.'

Takumi looked down at Tokisaki Kurumi and said, "The next step is to save those girls who were used as filters for 'spiritual crystals.'"

Kurumi's heart instantly felt warm. She had thought that as a creator, he would be cold and indifferent, but she hadn't expected him to be so gentle.

"Thank you."

Takumi smiled. "Thank me? You really should thank me, but you are all mine now, so don't say such things in the future."

Kurumi's cherry blossom-like lips curved into a smile. "Oh my, oh my~ I thought the Creator was serious, but it turns out he can be quite frivolous."

Takumi looked at the teasing Kurumi and moved his hand around her waist down by twenty centimeters, giving it a squeeze.

"The so-called Creator is the embodiment of everything in the universe, which naturally includes all human qualities. Emotions are simply the sum total of life in the universe."

Kurumi frowned slightly, her cheeks turning red. "Is that so?"

The 'Ouroboros Ring' behind Takumi flickered.

"Then, let's continue."

Takumi and Kurumi instantly disappeared, reappearing in Tiangong City.

Using the power of the 'Ouroboros Ring,' Takumi and Kurumi left no trace in the world, as if they were beings who did not exist in time.

Takumi and Kurumi observed everything unfold. The 'Origin Spirit' fell from space to the ground at various times. During this period, the three magicians formed the 'DEM Company' to search for the 'light and shadow' they had created by gathering spiritual power from around the world. Every time 'light and shadow' appeared, private armed forces surrounded her.

It wasn't until a year later, in Tiangong City, that the light and shadow finally adapted to her power, becoming very weak, and fell into a family's home.

When a girl named Takamiya Shiori found her, the light and shadow gradually dispersed, revealing a girl as innocent as a newborn.

Takamiya Shiori named her Mio Takamiya.

Mio's learning speed was incredible. In just one day, she had acquired the knowledge equivalent to that of a normal adult.

Not long after, however, peace was interrupted as 'DEM' arrived, seeking to take Mio away. Takamiya Shiori, of course, refused to hand Mio over to these suspicious individuals, and was shot dead while trying to escape with Mio.

Seeing her best friend's death, Mio lost her mind, unleashing her spiritual power, which resulted in the first space earthquake in Tiangong City. The earthquake's scale wasn't massive—it only destroyed the surrounding residential buildings and killed all the armed personnel pursuing them.

All the innocent people were sent thirty years into the future by Takumi, who observed everything.

Takumi and Kurumi watched as Mio took Shiori's body back in time, returned it to its original state, and placed it in her womb for re-gestation. Since there was a 'time paradox' in this world, no matter what she did, it was impossible to bring back the dead.

So, Mio decided to transform Shiori into a 'spirit' like herself, thus allowing Shiori to be resurrected and remain by her side forever. She then divided her power to create 'spiritual crystals.'

Mio continued to give innocent girls 'spiritual crystals,' only to kill them and retrieve the crystals once they turned into monsters. Mio would always cover the city with a domain, akin to a 'barrier,' preventing people from learning the truth.

Takumi resurrected the girls Mio killed, sending them thirty years into the future.

After repeating this cycle countless times, they reached a crucial point.

Mio met Kurumi, who accidentally wandered into her 'domain.'

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Kurumi, who had just been rescued, responded, "My name is Tokisaki Kurumi, and I'm on my way home..."

"Did you enter naturally? Maybe you have an affinity."