At that moment, the group chat was in an uproar over the new functions.
March 7th: "New feature! New feature!"
Saeko Busujima: "Has anyone tried it yet?"
Esdeath: "The Apocalypse Battlefield is an incredibly realistic space where you can unleash your powers freely. Anything destroyed within it automatically restores."
Ainz Ooal Gown: "That miraculous? Sounds like a game map."
Only then did Tatsuki remember he hadn't checked the other feature.
[Apocalypse Battlefield]: A simulated world where anything destroyed will regenerate. Anyone can spend 1,000 Apocalypse Points to enter for one hour as a projection body. Death inside only affects the projection, not the real body.
"Oh? This function is actually interesting."
A world as real as reality, but without death… wouldn't that mean he could release his full strength without restraint? He decided to explain it to the others.
Tatsuki: "Let me summarize. The Apocalypse Forge… the Apocalypse Battlefield…"
Tatsuki: "That's the gist of it."
Aqua: "The Apocalypse Forge! Can I melt down the Demon King with it?"
Shinobu Kocho: "Uhh… Aqua really has some wild ideas, huh."
Tatsuki: "Not a bad thought. You could try."
Tatsuki: "But really, melting down group-drawn artifacts into abilities works. I tested it myself."
Tatsuki: "Esdeath, the Imperial Arms from your world should also be meltable."
Silver Wolf: "Wait, refining objects into conceptual abilities? Like converting food into pure concepts? Where's the conservation of energy in that?"
Tatsuki: "Who knows."
Saint: "This group keeps shocking me with its insane features."
Esdeath: "I thought the Apocalypse Battlefield was just an arena. I didn't expect it to be a whole world."
Nami: "The key is, you can't die there. That means we can all fight freely, right?"
Esdeath: "Not just fight—slaughter. If death isn't permanent, then it's slaughter without restraint."
Nami: "..."
Vivi: "..."
Esdeath: "Reinhard, will you battle me to the death?"
Reinhard: "Apologies, I'm tied up with kingdom duties right now."
Esdeath: "Then I'll wait."
Reinhard: "Very well."
Kiana: "No way! This is basically like gaming. Count me in, count me in!"
Esdeath: "Oh? You strong?"
Kiana: "Of course! I'm super strong!"
[System: Esdeath has sent Kiana a red envelope.]
[Kiana has received 1,000 Apocalypse Points.]
Esdeath: "Come. I'll be waiting in the battlefield."
Kiana: "On my way!"
The moment it didn't involve class or homework, Kiana's enthusiasm skyrocketed.
"Teacher!" She shot up in the middle of class, twin braids bouncing.
The teacher pushed up his glasses, trying not to lose patience. "What is it now?"
"Bathroom!"
"Go—"
…
An endless grassland. This was the Apocalypse Battlefield's simulated world.
"You came too?" Esdeath appeared, and her gaze landed on Tatsuki.
He nodded faintly. "It's a new function. Of course I had to test it."
"Wow, I really am not in school anymore!"
The voice was full of excitement. White hair, blue eyes, twin braids down her back. The Kaslana family's trademark beauty—Kiana herself, radiant in her Senba Academy uniform.
She looked at the two figures. "So, uh, which one of you is Esdeath?"
"I'm Tatsuki, group admin. That's Esdeath." He stepped aside.
"Are you ready?" Esdeath stood tall, cold and imposing.
"Of course." Kiana smirked with confidence.
Tatsuki debated warning her—Esdeath was far stronger. But then, it was the Battlefield. Death didn't matter.
[System: Tatsuki has opened a livestream.]
[March 7th has joined.]
…
Honghong: "Tatsuki-gege went into the Battlefield too?"
Tatsuki: "Just observing. Testing the world, and spectating the fight."
Bronya: "Any discoveries?"
Tatsuki: "Yes. This isn't just a field. It's more like a full parallel universe. A complete simulated cosmos."
His spatial awareness confirmed it. The Battlefield resembled the parallel spaces he could create—but scaled to a whole cosmos, self-restoring after every clash.
Silver Wolf: "A flawless simulated world… a synthetic universe?"
Tatsuki: "That's one way to call it. A parallel cosmos."
Exusiai: "The fight's starting!"
Esdeath's rapier gleamed, her aura icy. Across from her, Kiana hefted… a baseball bat.
March 7th: "A bat? Why does that look exactly like Star's weapon?"
Bronya: "The Trailblazer's prototype is indeed a bat. There's even one in Belobog's museum."
March 7th: "Star's really powerful though—there's even a Stellaron in them. Could Kiana be the same?"
Tatsuki: "..."
If only she knew. Kiana did indeed house terrifying power within—such as a Herrscher.
The battle began.
"I'm going all out!" Kiana charged forward—swinging nothing but her bat. No aura, no power, just a run.
Esdeath frowned. She thrust her sword. A hundred spears of ice, each ten meters long, shot forth like missiles. It was only a probe.
But Kiana froze, eyes wide. What the hell was this? Superpowers?! The rain of ice lances bore down, and she forgot to even dodge.
Shhk!
She vanished in an instant, body pierced into motes of light.
Esdeath stared wordlessly. She turned to Tatsuki, as if to ask if that really just happened.
He only shrugged. That was reality.
March 7th: "Uh… did Kiana just get one-shotted? Or am I seeing things?"
Silver Wolf: "You saw right. She got deleted."
Ainz: "Kiana: 'I'm super strong!' Reality: Insta-kill."
Back at Senba Academy, Kiana staggered awake.
"I'm… not dead?" She touched her chest and stomach. No wounds. But her mind still reeled with flashes of unfamiliar memories—visions that surfaced in the instant she thought she'd been killed.
Head down, she sulked. "What the heck… I thought this was a normal fight, and you're throwing out superpowers?!"
Unnoticed, a golden glimmer flickered across her eyes.
Kiana: "Esdeath! Why didn't you tell me you were some kind of super-ability user?"
Esdeath: "..."
She refused to admit fault.
Exusiai: "Awkward. I thought Kiana would be a powerhouse. Turns out…"
Ainz: "Kiana: 'I'm strong!' Translation: 'Strong at dying fast.'"
Vivi: "Kiana-san probably just didn't know the rules."
Platelet: "Um… Kiana-oneechan was really brave!"
Kiana: "Waaaah! Don't rub it in!"
Her earlier bravado now tasted like ashes. Platelet's attempt to console her only made her die of shame all over again.
Tatsuki smiled faintly. As expected, Kiana could bring chaos and comedy wherever she went.
…
Elsewhere, Mikasa watched the stream as Esdeath's ice spears obliterated Kiana. For the first time, her stoic eyes flickered.
"That power… it could kill a Titan."
"Mikasa, why are you zoning out again?"
Ymir and Historia walked up. The three of them were on Survey Corps duty near the inner region of Wall Rose, where Titans had been reported. This ruined village was their rest stop.
"It's nothing. Let's continue the search." Mikasa rose silently and walked off.
"This girl…" Ymir clenched a fist. "I swear I want to sock her sometimes."
Historia giggled softly. "That's just Mikasa. Come on, let's keep moving." She tugged Ymir along.
None of them noticed the eyes watching from behind the broken wall.
…
At noon, Tatsuki sat with Megumi on the rooftop. She had packed two bento boxes, one just for him.
"Megumi, what made you think to make me lunch?"
She tucked stray hair behind her ear, sitting quietly by his side. "Because I can't live with you like Eriri or Yukino. So… I wanted to make it up to you in other ways."
Simple words, yet they warmed him through. He wrapped an arm around her waist, whispering in her ear, "Just being loved by you is already more than enough for me."
She tilted her head playfully. "Really?"
"Really."
Her small hand touched his chest. "But it doesn't seem like you're satisfied."
Caught red-handed, Tatsuki froze. The closeness, her fragrance—of course his body reacted.
Megumi's calm gaze gleamed with rare mischief. Her fingertip traced lightly as she murmured, "I want to make you truly satisfied."
...
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