"Phew, that felt good!"
Battered and bruised, I lay sprawled out while a beastwoman stretched her back beside me.
Her face was familiar. Years ago, during a massive battle with demons, she fought on the front lines—a warrior with sun-kissed skin and a killer figure. Toned from combat, her body was a perfect blend of strength and curves. And those breasts? Not quite Rias or Akeno-level, but definitely Xenovia-tier!
Back then, I couldn't resist—Dress Break! Her naked form burned into my memory, vivid even now. What a thrill!
The battlefield froze as human and demon men alike gawked. Of course, Alice's fist to my face afterward is another story…
"For now, we're even," she said.
"Y-Yes, sorry about that…" I stammered.
Another round, and I'd be scrap metal! I'm barely into this fight, and I'm already down for the count. Ow, my body's screaming…
Elsa lowered her hammer and sat beside me. "So, you've been looking after Miu, right?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking if Sirius entrusted Miu to you," she said, exasperated.
"Well, yeah…" I trailed off. "Wait, are you Miu's…?"
Elsa grinned and nodded. "I'm Elsa. Miu and I played together as kids. Long-time friends, though she was such a shut-in back then, we barely hung out outside."
So, she's Miu's friend. I knew it.
"You haven't done anything weird to her, have you?" Elsa's glare was intense.
I shook my head frantically. "Nope, nothing! I swear I haven't touched her!"
"Really?" she pressed.
"Really!" I insisted. Heaven and gods as my witness, I've kept my hands off! Sure, there was a moment where things got… tense, but I held back!
Elsa eased up, flashing a toothy grin. "Fine, I'll trust you. You haven't made Miu cry, and you seem to care about her."
"You can tell?" I asked.
"Just look at her face," Elsa said, glancing toward Urum's house, where Miu was. "She's happy with you."
She held out her fist. "Keep looking out for her. She's a crybaby, you know."
"Got it," I said, bumping her fist. "I swore to protect her, no matter what."
When Elsa and I returned to Urum's place, everyone was fixing a wall she'd smashed. Urum scolded her as soon as he saw us.
"Look at my house!" he snapped. "Can't you think before you act?"
"Haha, sorry, Elder~" Elsa said, scratching her head.
"Don't laugh—help fix it!"
"Yes, sir…" Elsa mumbled, joining the repairs sheepishly.
She must've caused the damage, but it was clear Urum had her on a short leash. I considered helping, but with my low magic reserves and zero spellcasting ability, I'd just be a burden. Time to sweep instead.
"Urum-san, where's the broom?" I asked.
"Sorry, right this way," he said, leading me to the cleaning supplies.
Found it—a broom and dustpan. I headed back, catching a conversation.
"You startled me, but it's really you, Elsa," Miu said.
"Yup. You look good, Miu," Elsa replied. "Hanging with that pervy hero, huh? Seems like you're having fun."
"Yeah," Miu said. "Life with Is—big brother—is great. My family's grown, too."
"Wait, you almost said 'big brother'!" Elsa exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're that pervy hero's sister now?"
"Yup," Miu confirmed.
"What!?" Elsa grabbed Miu's shoulders, stunned.
I mean, yeah, becoming the sister of the guy who beat your dad is wild. No wonder Elsa's shocked.
She sighed. "You always wanted siblings, but his sister? That's next-level."
"But Issei's so kind and takes care of me," Miu said. "I'm really happy now."
Her words made me blush. Miu's been thriving—friends at school, family at home with Dad, Mom, me, and the Occult Research Club.
Urum, beside me, chuckled. "Ho ho ho! Issei-dono, thank you for cherishing Miu-sama."
"It's my promise," I said. "Plus, she's irreplaceable to me."
"Is that so?" Urum said. "Sirius-sama's judgment was spot-on. I'm glad to see it."
Once the wall was fixed, we sat down to discuss why we'd returned to this world.
"Trim-san, Urum-san, tell me what happened after I left," I said. "That's why I'm back."
I'd sensed something was wrong. Loki's warnings and that white monster we fought earlier—nothing like it existed before.
Both groaned. "Let's start from the beginning," Trim said. "The human-demon relationship: a peace treaty was signed, ensuring no further conflict."
Miu and I gasped, then cheered. "Yes!" Miu cried, tears streaming. She'd worried about this world since we left. Knowing tragedies could be avoided overwhelmed her.
"Hell yeah!" I said, ruffling her hair. I was thrilled, too.
Urum smiled at our joy. "After Issei-dono defeated Sirius-sama, some nations wanted to eradicate demons. But thanks to Alice-sama and other leaders' efforts, we survived. We owe them greatly."
Alice pulled it off! Probably with Morris, Lisha, and Nina's help, but convincing other nations? Impressive.
Trim continued. "Oudiria led the peace, and now we even trade with demons. Relations are strong. However…" His face hardened, Urum's brow furrowing.
"Two months ago, a disturbance began," Trim said. "What did you think of that monster, Issei-dono?"
"Tough as hell," I said. "Strong, too. A real pain."
It tanked my attacks, shocking even Azazel-sensei and Tiamat. Not normal.
"Indeed," Trim said. "Those creatures have appeared worldwide."
"What!?" we all exclaimed.
Those things, everywhere? Regular soldiers wouldn't stand a chance!
"As you suspect, only skilled fighters can handle them," Trim said. "Their damage is already severe. Remember Zemria, Oudiria's ally?"
"Yeah," I nodded. A major nation, I'd met their royals and visited often.
"Zemria was ravaged a month ago," Trim said. "In a single day."
"No way…" I muttered.
"Alice-sama and we rushed to aid them," Trim said, biting his lip, blood trickling. "But we were powerless against it."
Azazel-sensei asked, "It—the boss of those monsters?"
Likely the "entity" Loki mentioned, set to invade our world. Rias and the others tensed.
Urum turned to Miu. "Hime-sama, do you recall the 'God of Destruction' legend?"
"Yeah," Miu nodded.
I knew it, too, from Alice. "I heard it from her," I told Rias.
"What's it about?" she asked.
I recounted the tale Alice and Nina loved, a children's story that inspired their peace efforts.
Long ago, when humans and demons lived together in harmony, laughing and helping each other, peace reigned. Then he appeared from the heavens. Landing, he spawned kin that ravaged the land. Humans and demons united against him, but his overwhelming power and kin crushed them. He devastated half the world in a flash.
As most despaired, abandoning their swords, one human and one demon rose, challenging him. The heavens granted them a flaming sword to defeat him. After a long battle, they sealed him at the ocean's depths, never to awaken, restoring peace.
"That's the story," I said. "It's a kids' tale, so that's all I know."
Alice and Nina adored it, reading it constantly. It sparked their dream of human-demon peace.
"Just a legend, right?" I asked.
"No," Trim said. "We've encountered it."
Azazel-sensei frowned. "You survived that?"
"We thought we'd die," Trim said, "but it left without killing us."
"What?" Azazel-sensei said, puzzled.
Why leave? I wondered.
"We don't know why," Trim said. "It saved us. Now, human and demon leaders debate how to defeat it. For a month, it hasn't reappeared—only its monsters. With limited info, we dispatch troops to fight them."
The mystery deepened. Alice and her allies are top-tier, yet even they couldn't touch it. Why use monsters when it could act alone?
Azazel-sensei asked, "Your world has god-class beings, right? Issei mentioned a Godly Plane. Why aren't they helping? They're not just watching, are they?"
I answered, "Godly Plane gods can't interfere here. Their power's too disruptive, so it's forbidden. They can't descend."
"Tch, annoying world," Azazel-sensei said. "But the legend says the 'God of Destruction' came from the heavens. If that's the Godly Plane, doesn't that break the rules?"
"Good point," I said, stumped. My master mentioned something similar, but it didn't add up.
If Godly Plane gods can't descend, and all gods live there, who's this "God of Destruction"? I racked my brain but came up empty.
Azazel-sensei asked Trim and Urum, "Ever heard of Loki?"
"No," Trim said.
"Same," Urum added.
So, they don't know Loki. Has he never been here? Then how did he know about the "God of Destruction," or me and Miu?
Maybe it's just these two, but still…
Rias sighed. "So many unknowns. We need info on this god to plan."
"Indeed," Akeno said. "But for now, shouldn't we rest? We can gather info later."
"Good idea," Rias said. "Urum-san, may we stay in the village tonight?"
"Of course," Urum smiled. "Your lodgings are ready. Rest well."
"Thank you," Akeno said. "We appreciate it."
We decided to stay the night, planning to investigate the "God of Destruction" after regrouping with Morris and the others.