"I've finally returned..." – Akira muttered under his breath as he stood on the edge of the metallic pier, silently gazing at the artificial island that stretched before him under the calm night sky.
The lights of Itogami Island shimmered across the surface of the water, casting faint luminous ripples that seemed to pulse with the island's own heartbeat. The night breeze was deceptively warm, carrying with it the scent of salt and the scattered sounds of life echoing from afar.
Moments passed before Akira closed his eyes and took a deep breath, recalling the final moments in the world of Tensura. The mission they were assigned there had ended once all the Demon Lords recognized Kurumi as one of their own. There was no need to linger any longer, and so he didn't hesitate to leave a version of himself behind.
But that version… wasn't just an empty shell or a mindless clone. It was him — carrying his consciousness, emotions, everything. He controlled it using parallel thought processing — one of the most complex mental techniques he had mastered, allowing him to exist fully in more than one place… and more than one world… at the same time.
And Tensura wasn't the only world blessed — or cursed — with his presence. He had also sent a copy of himself to the world of Bladedance of the Elementalers, accompanying Rubia whom he trusted, Greyworth whom he watched, and most importantly... Rinslet, whom he hadn't stopped observing since that day in the blazing dimension.
As for the real Akira — if one could still call him that — he had taken a different path.
Upon returning to his original home, he couldn't suppress the surge of longing that swept through his heart. He went straight to visit Mashiro and the others… those who were once his entire world. More than a thousand years had passed since their last meeting, and with every moment shared, the heavy weight of time slowly began to fade.
But he did not have the luxury to stay for long. After bidding them farewell with dimmed eyes and a tone void of regret, he finally returned to Itogami Island — the nexus of worlds, where everything begins and ends.
"Hmm..." – a soft hum escaped him as he felt a vibration from the phone in his pocket, dragging him back to reality. He slowly pulled it out, the screen's glow reflecting in his eyes as he read the first notification.
[Ding! The quest has been completed successfully. Each participant has received 2,000 points and one random ability.]
He raised an eyebrow slightly, but showed no specific expression. It was expected.
[Ding! A chat group invitation has been sent to a random individual...]
[Ding! "Witch Of The Azure Moon" has joined the chat group.]
His fingers paused above the screen.
"…Witch of the Azure Moon?" – he spoke the name slowly, as if testing its weight, its taste, the echo of the aura it carried.
The title wasn't familiar… but it wasn't ordinary either.
The Azure Moon, a symbol of rarity and mystery. And Witch — a word laced with entire worlds of chaos, isolation, and forbidden knowledge.
[Akira (Admin): Welcome to the new member.]
[Yukihime: Welcome to the new member.]
[Tabane: +1]
[Kurumi: +1]
[Asuna: +1]
[Sui: +1]
[Witch of the Azure Moon: Intriguing. Despite my knowledge of other worlds and invaders, I did not expect anyone to possess the ability to create such a magical communication network across multiple worlds simultaneously.]
[Ding! Witch of the Azure Moon has changed her name to Tinasha.]
[Akira: While I don't know who the "invaders" are, we might be a bit different. I believe you should be able to understand what's happening from the information embedded in your mind upon joining the group chat.]
[Tinasha: Indeed, I have a clear understanding of the nature of this chat group. I must admit, it's highly fascinating. I've never seen anything like it in recorded history.]
[Yukihime: Agreed. Even though I've lived for over 400 years, I've never heard or seen anything quite like this interdimensional chat group.]
[Tinasha: Are you a Witch as well? It's impossible for ordinary humans to live that long.]
[Yukihime: I'm a Vampire. The group chat includes many different races — Vampires, Dragons, Spirits, Elves, and Humans too.]
[Tinasha: Interesting. There are many rare — even extinct — races in this group.]
[Tabane: Ehh?! Did you say extinct?! Mind your words, Lady Moon, or I'll start crying T_T]
[Sui: sends a sticker of a small dragon hugging a moon shard]
[Sui: My world has all of those races. And to be honest, it's not that great — too many races just means more conflict. Especially the Dragons. One whim from them and they could start a world-ending war.]
[Akira: …Are you subtly referring to me?]
[Sui: Maybe? 😇 You're an exception though… sort of. Or maybe it's just because you haven't destroyed my world yet, so I'll pretend to feel safe.]
[Kurumi: Hahaha, if this turns into a war discussion again, make sure to count me in too. I am a terrifying Demon Lord after all.]
[Tinasha: It seems the dynamics here lean towards chaos… amusing, but chaotic nonetheless. Is this your usual style of communication?]
[Tabane: Totally normal! But we do have serious moments… sometimes… rarely… maybe once every thousand messages?]
[Yukihime: sigh It's not a system… it changes depending on who's talking. But over time, you get used to it. Or lose your mind. Or both.]
[Tinasha: Either outcome sounds acceptable. At least… I'm not alone this time.]
[Asuna: You've been through a lot, haven't you?]
[Tinasha: Enough to know that belonging is rare… and too precious to ignore.]
[Akira: You seem like someone fun to talk to, but I need to go now. I have a deal with a partner I need to complete.]
After sending the message, Akira tapped the screen and opened the reward from the quest. He planned to visit Asagi and fulfill his part of the deal — reviving her mother.
As for the Holy Grail War? He wasn't particularly interested anymore. He planned to wrap it up in the next few days. For now, he wanted to enjoy modern life — something Honoka was already doing, since he had returned her to her home just a few days ago.
[Ding! You have obtained the Red Kämpfer bracelet.]
As soon as the notification ended, Akira felt something new on his wrist — a simple-looking bracelet with a vivid red color, brimming with magical energy and bound to him.
"..." – Akira stared at the bracelet with mixed feelings. He knew about the Kämpfer. They were all supposed to be girls — but it was technically possible for a man to become one too. Upon transformation, he would turn into a woman. It was… a strange feeling, especially since the chat group had linked him to the bracelet without his permission.
"Well, things might get interesting if I just leave it on..." – Akira muttered, deciding to ignore it for now, also curious to see what his Kämpfer form would look like.
As for the fight between the other Kämpfer? Akira wasn't particularly interested. No matter how strong they were, they couldn't really harm him. To him, it was just another kind of entertainment.
He had watched the Kämpfer anime in his past life, and found the concept interesting — a war between individuals chosen by the wills of battling planets or something along those lines.
...
To get more chapters please visit my p@treon :
p@treon.com/Akasaki_Ryujin
For support :
https://ko-fi.com/akasaki_ryujin