Alice looked joyfully at the five students, who were gulping nervously and brimming with anticipation. "O brave heroes! Do you seek legendary gear—the Holy Sword, the Phoenix Armor, the Archmage's Staff, the Invincible Shield, the Godslayer Spear, or the Eye of Instant Death?"
"We do!" the five shouted in unison.
Alice raised both hands like a benevolent goddess. "Then open your eyes and pray—for a miracle is about to descend."
Hehehe, I've become a god who grants blessings to mortals. How fun…
Hum—
Golden light shimmered before the five.
"Ooooh—"
They gasped as ornate equipment emerged from the light, flying into their hands.
Sanae Dekomori received a fancy little hammer—befitting her self-proclaimed title as the "Thunder Hammer Wielder." It could actually summon lightning.
Shinka Nibutani got a wand reminiscent of Cardcaptor Sakura's, loaded with over a dozen preset spells.
Touka Takanashi's wand specialized in healing and defensive magic—she was their priest and tank.
Yuuta Togashi received the Sword of Promised Victory—an imitation, but here on Earth, it may as well be the real deal.
Rikka Takanashi got the "Phantasmal Evil Eye," which contained a variety of spells and could also deploy a "Phantasmal Barrier."
This "Phantasmal Barrier" recreated a hyper-real illusion—damage within it would vanish once the barrier ended. Though not true reality alteration, the illusion was so vivid it was indistinguishable from reality—like high-end VR. Electronic devices couldn't detect the difference.
Sanae hugged her hammer and nuzzled it. "Waaah! So cool! Thank you, Goddess-sama!"
Shinka clutched her wand, eyes shining. "I… I'm a real mage now!" She could feel its immense power, accessible only to her.
Yuuta trembled as he held the sword of legend. "The Sword of Promised Victory… It's the real Holy Sword!"
Touka blinked innocently. "Am I a priest?"
Rikka stood up, removed her eyepatch, and struck a dramatic pose. Runes flowed in her golden eye as she declared chuunibyou-style, "Ah! The power of the Tyrant's Eye has returned!"
Alice stood atop the table, voice ringing with excitement. "My heroes! The sacred duty of revealing the existence of gods to the world now falls upon you!"
"Tell me—armed with divine artifacts, do you have the resolve?!"
"Yes!" they responded in high spirits.
Alice waved a hand dramatically. "Then go, my heroes! Sleep well tonight, for tomorrow… the world will tremble!"
"Yes, Goddess-sama!"
Rias lifted the barrier, and the five left the classroom, spirits soaring.
Even Nibutani and Yuuta—both recently out of their chuunibyou phase—had their old passions reignited.
They looked at their fellow students with new eyes—as if they were mere Muggles.
Hmph, gods and devils are real, you know.
And so is magic.
Tomorrow, the whole world will know it.
...
Atop the school building…
Watching the five leave, Sona Sitri spoke with some concern. "Will those five really be okay?"
Tsubaki Shinra nodded. "Yeah… They're still just regular people. Even with divine gear, they might cry on stage tomorrow…"
Rias patted her chest. "Don't worry. I trust my judgment. They'll surprise us."
Koneko Toujou nodded. "Mm. I believe in the President. Nya."
Akeno Himejima smiled. "Indeed, the President's judgment is always precise. Who knows? They might even awaken a Vision after completing the mission."
Asia meekly asked, "Um… what about us? Do I have to play the Demon King too?"
Alice chuckled. "Asia, your role's easy. You're a saint devoted to the faith of God. I'll stir things up in the Vatican, and you can just appear as a saint and summon an 'angel.'"
"That alone will earn the faith of three billion people. Tsk tsk… that'll probably make you the strongest Lower God at ascension—maybe even turn you straight into a Two-Winged Angel."
"As for Rossweisse, you're a Valkyrie. No need to act—just summon your pegasus and fly around Europe a bit. Hehe~"
Rias smiled as she looked at the twilight horizon. "Then let's wait for tomorrow morning to begin our first performance."
...
The next morning.
The five students trudged toward school rubbing their tired eyes.
Shinka Nibutani asked, "Why do all of you have dark circles under your eyes, except for Touka-senpai?"
Yuuta Togashi laughed awkwardly. "Ahaha… well…"
They were too excited to sleep—holding onto their holy artifacts all night.
Rikka Takanashi, in full chuuni mode, declared, "Hmph, I battled a monster from another dimension in the rift of space all night. I barely escaped at dawn."
Sanae Dekomori added proudly, arms crossed, "Yes, while the Master fought valiantly, I was cursed with a sleepless hex!"
Touka blinked blankly and smiled. "I don't really understand, but that sounds amazing. I just woke up and it was morning."
Shinka Nibutani glanced around nervously and swallowed. "We're almost at school… it's about to begin."
The number of students around them increased as the school entrance drew near.
Classmates began greeting them casually.
"Good morning, Nibutani."
"Yo, Togashi. Morning!"
"Morning, Isshiki."
Just as Yuuta responded to greetings—
RUMBLE—
A thunderous roar echoed from above the school.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—
The deafening thunder startled everyone in the city.
People instinctively looked up. What had been a clear sky turned dark in moments.
Ominous crimson-black clouds—like something out of another world—spread rapidly across the sky.
Scarlet lightning writhed through the clouds.
RUMBLE RUMBLE…
The visual impact was terrifying—triggering primal fear.
People screamed in panic.
"Ah?! What's happening?! The sky!"
"Whoa! It's terrifying! What is this?!"
"What's going on all of a sudden?!"
"What is this?! Why does the sky look like that?!"
Office workers in towering skyscrapers screamed in panic as they opened windows and stared at the eerie sky.
"Oh my god! This is terrifying!"
Elderly folks chatting in the park froze with blank expressions, their pets slipping from their hands and falling to the ground.
Even cats and dogs whimpered in fear.
Inside the television station, the staff were so stunned that you could hear a pin drop.
The station director was the first to snap out of it, yelling, "Quick! Go live now! Something big is happening! Cameramen, set up the equipment! Reporters, move—"
Snapped into action, the cameramen and reporters scrambled to begin broadcasting. As frontline journalists, they instantly recognized that an anomaly like this sky meant something monumental was about to unfold.
Rumble rumble rumble—
Just as the cameras began rolling, a massive crimson beam of light hundreds of meters wide shot down from the blood-red clouds, striking the city.
A pressure more intense than a typhoon surged through the area, sending onlookers tumbling away from their windows, screaming in pain.
Then they saw it—a colossal blood-colored gate made entirely of skulls hovering in the air. The scent of rust and a crushing aura instantly enveloped the entire city.
Everyone who caught a whiff of that rusty scent knew it was blood. The oppressive presence drove people to the brink of madness. The faint-hearted even wet themselves in terror.
For the first time, this non-magical world was confronted with the raw presence of the supernatural.
"What the hell is that?!"
"A giant skull gate! Is that the Gate of Hell?!"
"Something out of mythology!"
The floating skull gate, the oppressive atmosphere, the smell of blood, and the crimson sky—all of it shattered the worldview of the people in under a minute.
At the base of this horrifying sight was the Icho Private High School, where the pressure was most intense.
Teachers, students, and even the principal had collapsed to the ground, paralyzed with fear.
Terror turned into hopeless despair. Under such overwhelming force, a dark fog of dread began to spread.
"Skulls! It's too scary!"
"Mommy, help me!"
"Impossible! Those things can't exist!" the chubby principal cried, his materialist worldview crumbling before his eyes.
Crack!
With a thunderous rumble, the blood-red skull gate slowly creaked open, releasing a rolling red mist.
ROAR ROAR ROAR—
Dozens of horned, monstrous demons howled as they pushed to break free.
Their grotesque forms looked like they came straight out of fantasy anime—like something between a classic demon and King Piccolo from Dragon Ball.
But they were blocked by a golden barrier made of radiant script, preventing them from charging out.
"AAAAHHHH—"
"KYAAAA—"
The students screamed at the top of their lungs. Tears streamed from the eyes of terrified schoolgirls.
The entire city was engulfed in hysteria.
"Demons! They're demons!"
Despite growing up in the 21st century and being raised on manga and anime, most people had eventually accepted that such things were fiction.
But now—actual demons stood before their eyes.
"It's—it's getting out—"
From within the countless demons, one finally broke through the seal.
Heh heh heh…
Standing five meters tall, the demon flapped its wings and let out a wicked laugh.
"I'm finally free. Heh heh… That damn seal from the gods is fading at last! The gate to the human realm has finally opened, hahaha!"
The demon's sinister laughter echoed across the city.
Many people were already filming the entire event on their phones.
"Ah~ Thanks to the human realm no longer worshipping the gods, the seal has gradually weakened. Foolish humans, hahaha! In ten days at most, we demons shall once again rule the human world!"
"It's been so long since I last tasted the delicious flesh of humans. Where are the children I so adore eating?"
The grotesque demon licked its fanged lips as it stared hungrily down at the school below.
It landed on the ground with a thud, its five-meter-tall body towering like a two-story building—a terrifying giant to ordinary humans.
"AAAAAHHHH—"
Screams echoed throughout the school. Students cried in sheer terror.
Even the adult teachers had been reduced to sobbing wrecks.
Just then, a voice rang out—magnified by magic, cutting through the panic.
"Spirits dwelling between heaven and earth, grant me your blessing. Let divine judgment descend—"
A dazzling golden light erupted around the two-story-tall demon.
BOOM!
With a sound like something out of an anime, the demon—just about to grab a student—was blasted backward and sent flying across the courtyard.
"Aaargh! Divine power?! Who—how is this possible?!"
The demon screamed from the crater, half of its red skin scorched black.
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
The previously panicked students were stunned. Their eyes locked on a glowing girl holding an ornate magical staff.
"That's…"
"Nibutani-san..."
Before they could fully react, another magically amplified voice rang out.
"Tear open, gate of darkness! Reveal the void and guide the end with the power of the final king! Duel Boundary—"
Vmmm…
Another student stood tall, removing her eyepatch. From beneath it, her golden eye shone as glowing runes burst forth.
A circular wave of light spread outward from her as its center, draining all color from the surroundings.
It was as if the world had lost its hue.
"Takanashi-san!"
Her classmates gasped in unison.
"Demon from the far reaches of the abyss, behold the power of the Tyrant's Eye!"
Rikka Takanashi struck a dramatic pose, voice dripping with chuunibyou flair.
Yet in that moment, no one thought she was delusional.
Everyone was speechless with awe.
The demon's face twisted in horror. "This is… divine power! Impossible! Humanity stopped believing in the gods long ago—there shouldn't be any more divine agents among them! How is this possible?!"
"Heh heh heh… HAHAHA—"
A crazed laugh snapped everyone's attention away from the demon.
It was Yuuta Togashi, their usually quiet classmate. One hand over his face, he laughed with theatrical menace.
"Togashi?!"
"Yuuta?" his deskmate Shō Ichise said in shock.
"Demon," Yuuta sneered. His gaze sharpened.
"The gods have never turned their eyes away from humanity."
"They knew the seal on your gate would soon collapse. That's why we've been waiting."
He raised his right hand. A golden light appeared, and in a flash, a sword with a golden base and blue markings materialized in his grip.
"I am one chosen by the gods. Bearer of the sacred sword Excalibur—Holy Sword Wielder."
Next, Sanae Dekomori bounced forward. A glittering hammer appeared in her hands, rapidly enlarging before she slung it over her shoulder.
"Hehehe… I am the wielder of the Thunder God's Hammer—Thunder Hammer Wielder, Death!"
Finally, Kumin Tsuyuri raised her hand. A magical staff appeared in her hand as she timidly declared, "Um, me too… I'm a magic user—no, a support-class Cleric!"
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