Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Chapter 60: Perfect Timing
Hours later*
I blankly put away the Cards of Blasphemy—specifically, the Card of the Hanged Man—having just from tonight's adventuring. Another Uniqueness added to my collection. The Hanged Man's Uniqueness, no less. I didn't dare expose it to the world for even a split second. Not when the Hanged Man Pathway is infamous for its instability.
According to Klein, this pathway is the easiest one to lose control in—"Nothing comes close, even the Abyss Pathway, which represents evil itself, falls just short in that regard."
And yet, here I am—walking closer and closer to the edge. The suicidal notion of equipping all Pathways at Sequence 9… It's practically inviting insanity.
Still, that makes three Uniquenesses now. Three. What the hell is happening? I should be feeling joy, but instead, all I feel is a gnawing unease. I'm gathering things that are far beyond what my current Sequence should be able to contain. And that's what scares me the most.
Also… how in the world did Idle S9Secrets Suppliant only reach 6% Acting Progress, yet somehow managed to obtain the Uniqueness right from the start and keep it long enough to bring it back to me?
It didn't add up.
"Hey, Chikao. Do you think this kitten is cute?" Momoyo's voice pulled me out of the spiral.
I blinked and found a fluffball of white fur nearly pressed into my face, its wide eyes staring up at me with innocent curiosity. She was holding it with both hands, gently cradling it like something sacred.
I set aside all thoughts of the Hanged Man's Uniqueness, like I do with other stuff I've obtained in the past, and focused on her. After all, we were supposed to be on a date night: a cat café, no less.
"Yes, it's cute. Just like the other ones you've shown me before." I replied calmly, gently pushing the kitten away before I ended up inhaling stray fur again.
That had already happened once. Not a fan of repeating it.
"Anyway, it's almost closing time. Best to say your farewells now." I rose from my seat, prompting a small pout from Momoyo.
Still, she relented and did as I said, reluctantly returning the kitten to its bed of blankets. I settled the bill on the way out, holding the door open for her to step through before I followed and let it swing shut behind me.
The air outside was a little cooler now, tinged with that gentle crispness that came after a long evening. As we walked down the street, a few others strolled nearby—most of them couples like us, enjoying the lingering moments of a date night. It gave the atmosphere a quiet, intimate rhythm. Familiar, yet distant.
"Hey, Chikao." Momoyo called, tugging slightly on my hand as we wandered together, fingers interlaced. We'd drifted into a row of night vendors, their stalls glowing with soft lantern light. Trinkets, handmade crafts, snacks, and odd little gifts filled the tables—many of them cheap, kitschy, or romantic, depending on how creative you were.
"Yeah?" I replied, glancing at her from the corner of my eye—just as my Spirituality flared.
A brief flash—a glimpse of the future.
Without hesitation, I gently pulled Momoyo aside, guiding her away from the main path. She followed without protest as I led her into a narrow alleyway, where an old vending machine blinked dimly with a row of sodas.
"How come you seem like you're burdened with so much in your life?" Momoyo's question cut deeper than I expected.
I let out a small breath and offered her a faint smile. "Let's just say I'm going through a lot right now."
As I spoke, my gaze drifted over her shoulder—locking onto the silhouettes at the mouth of the alley. Shadowy figures, slow-moving, deliberate. Not ordinary pedestrians.
I didn't wait for confirmation.
In one seamless thought, I switched to the Pathways: Demoness, Red Priest, and Eternal Aeon. My Spirituality flared in warning, and I acted.
I gently covered Momoyo's eyes with my gloved hand.
Then I projected the aura of the Sefirot: City of Calamity into the alleyway. Reality buckled.
The walls darkened, the air thickened. Streetlights blinked out one by one as the surroundings twisted and decayed, the atmosphere warping with creeping mutations—brick, metal, and flesh merging where they shouldn't.
"Hey—why are you covering my eyes?!" Momoyo demanded, trying to pull my hand away.
But it didn't budge.
The Immortality Marble Glove reflected her force perfectly—every ounce of strength she used rebounded, turning her effort into resistance against herself. She growled in frustration, straining in place, held fast by her own might.
"There are some things you can't look at with your own eyes, Momoyo. Trust me on that." I said calmly, my voice steady despite the storm gathering around us.
In the distance, the shadowy figures screamed.
Or tried to.
The aura of the City of Calamity warped even that—distorting their cries into stifled, broken sounds that barely reached our ears. Their agony became abstract. Muffled. The kind of horror that didn't need clarity to be felt.
It only lasted a few seconds.
Then, silence.
The kind that pressed in from all sides.
Without wasting time, I pulled the aura back. Reeling it in wasn't as easy as letting it leak out—it never was. Suppressing something like that was like cramming a nightmare back into its cage.
I nearly grunted from the effort, my jaw clenched tight as cold sweat beaded across my skin. Illusions assaulted me with terrifying clarity—visions too vivid, too real. Whispers in dead tongues, flashes of cities that never were, shadows with too many limbs.
Each one clawed at the edge of my mind.
When I finally snuffed the projection out completely, I stood there—chest tight, breath shallow, body soaked in sweat. My muscles trembled faintly beneath the surface, nerves raw from the strain.
But we were safe.
For now.
"Come on. We need to head back."
I removed my hand from Momoyo's eyes, allowing her vision to return. Her expression flickered—confused, maybe a little irritated, but the moment she saw the sweat clinging to my face and the way I moved, tight with strain, whatever words she was about to say died on her lips.
Silently, she let me drag her out of the alley, her grip tightening just enough to say she noticed, but not enough to press the matter.
Once we were back in the light of the street, I kept walking. One foot in front of the other. I didn't say a word, and neither did she.
After this… I'm going to need more charms.
And honestly, I felt like an idiot for not already preparing more of them, not just the Slumber Charm. Unlike those living in the world of Lord of the Mysteries, I didn't need to pray to some high-level existence and hope they'd lend me a sliver of power to be contained inside the charms. I didn't need their permission.
I had something better—my own versions of the Cards of Blasphemy.
The next day*
I tore down the wall of Spirituality. I exhaled and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
The last ritual was complete.
With that, I had five Teleportation Charms in total. Fitting, really. A little ironic, too—each charm built around the essence of Sequence 5: Traveler from the Door Pathway. Sequence five, five charms. Guess the symbolism writes itself.
Lucky for me, the Error's Uniqueness, the Sefirot: Sefirah Castle, and the Card of Door were more than enough to help make these Teleportation Charms. No borrowed grace from a hidden god. No offerings to ancient beings. Just raw materials, method, and madness.
Still, the cost was steep.
Each charm demanded so much Spirituality that I had to sleep between crafting sessions just to recover enough to continue. Not nap. Sleep. Deep, dreamless, and heavy.
Now, with the fifth one done, I was running on fumes.
Boy, am I drained. Literally.
As I tucked the Teleportation Charms away, I slipped one into my pocket—just in case. Always keep an escape route close.
That's when I heard it. A whisper at first. Not quite a voice, not quite a thought.
"Lord Mysteries, King of Space-Time, Beacon of Destiny, Embodiment of Sefirah Castle, Dominator of the Spirit World..."
I froze.
That wasn't just a prayer. That was my title—one no one should be speaking aloud unless they knew exactly what they were dealing with.
And only two people knew that honorific.
My frown deepened.
Spirituality was running low, but not gone. I still had a few Pathways I could cycle through to recover what I needed.
I focused, switching carefully—safely—drawing from what reserves I had left to rebuild the Spirituality required. Step by step, I performed the necessary steps and opened the way.
Then, I entered the Sefirah Castle.
Taking my seat in the Sefirah Castle, I flicked the Card of Door into the air. It spun once before flaring with light, projecting an image into the space before me—an answer to the prayer I'd just heard.
It was Mai.
And she was barely clinging to life.
Her body was bloodied, one arm hanging limp at her side. Around her, countless yokai lay broken and still—more than half of them dead. The survivors fared little better, their forms battered, twisted, burned. The battlefield was soaked in pain and death.
I leaned in, listening as her faint voice filtered through the image.
"I don't know... if you're listening... but do you like the beauty that... I have pursued...?"
Her words cracked at the end, her breath hitching on the edge of collapse.
I let out a sharp sigh, not of frustration—of resolve.
Without wasting another second, I stood and severed the projection. The image vanished like mist.
I exited the Sefirah Castle, my mind already ahead of my body. Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out one of the Teleportation Charms.
Muttering the incantation in Ancient Hermes, I activated the charm. The world around me blurred—space folded, time stuttered.
I passed through the Spirit World like a shadow, surfacing seconds later into chaos.
Right before Mai.
She stared up at me in shock, blood in her mouth, her body trembling. Her eyes widened—not in fear, but disbelief.
Without a word, I reached into my left pocket and pulled free every Healing Agent I had crafted in the past. One by one, I applied them, each one glowing faintly as it took effect.
Her breathing steadied.
The wounds sealed.
The color returned to her face.
By the end, her body was fully stabilized—damaged, yes, but no longer dying. With a few days of rest, she'd return to full strength.
I pulled out another Teleportation Charm. Then, without hesitation, I lifted Mai into my arms—cradling her in a princess carry. Her eyes widened as a flush crept up her face, but she didn't protest.
Muttering the incantation in Ancient Hermes, I activated the charm.
Once more, the world folded around us, bending through the Spirit World before snapping back into place.
We landed in the bedroom I shared with Momoyo.
I gently laid Mai on the bed. She stirred slightly, still weak but stable. I turned away and picked up my backpack, reaching into it to retrieve another Teleportation Charm, slipping it into my pocket for the next emergency. That left two in the bag, one on me.
Just as I was about to close the bag—
The door burst open without warning.
"Chikao! Time for us to go—" Momoyo stood there, smiling—until she spotted Mai. Her smile dropped like a stone. "—Who the fuck is she?!" She snapped, her voice rising with righteous fury. Her scowl was sharp enough to cut through bone as her eyes locked onto the bloodied girl in our bed. She was practically radiating killing intent now.
Such timing...