Chapter 168: King of Chronos and King of the Void!
"Eh?"
Noticing the blinding light had disappeared, Rory Takakura opened her eyes, looking puzzled: "What just happened?"
"That light just rushed at you, and Ren-san chopped it with his sword with a 'ka' sound," Kiana said, gesturing with the baseball bat in her hand.
"Did… Ren-san save me?" Rory Takakura's eyes sparkled as she immediately understood the situation.
"It's nothing. I was going to deal with it anyway. I just didn't expect it to run over and try to attack you."
Ren was actually a little unsatisfied; an hour-long Doom Companion mission was resolved in just a few minutes.
That was quite fast.
"Thank you!" Rory Takakura bowed very politely, her cheeks pink.
"Me too. Thank you for your help," Mikoto Suoh stepped forward, his voice a low rumble.
"If it weren't for you, the Golden King… no, I should say the Colorless King, would have been very difficult for us to deal with."
This was a fact.
The Golden King was known as the strongest King, overwhelmingly powerful to everyone.
Even Mikoto Suoh, after his enhancement, could only barely contend with him.
Upon hearing this, Ren merely smiled and said, "Well, that's precisely the purpose of our companionship."
"Hmm, my body."
"Eh? What's going on?"
Rory Takakura and Kiana suddenly voiced different confusions at the same time.
Ren turned to look at the two.
Rory Takakura was emitting a visible cold air all over, causing frost to form on the surrounding walls and the ground beneath her feet.
Kiana was even stranger; she was directly floating an inch off the ground, and several small, shimmering spatial rifts were opening and closing around her.
Ren suddenly looked up, not at the sky, but at the Dresden Slate.
"That is…"
At the same time, far away, Reisi Munakata, Nagare Hisui, and members of various clans simultaneously looked towards the direction of the Mihashira Tower.
There… two new Swords of Damocles shone brilliantly.
One was a glorious, massive golden sword, replacing the one that had just fallen! The birth of a new Golden King!
The second was an invisible, colorless sword, perceivable only by other Kings and those with high spiritual awareness. The birth of a new Colorless King!
Logically, the abnormal Kiana and Rory Takakura should have become the new Kings.
But, things were not so simple.
Ren.
The Seventh King, Colorless King!
Kiana.
The Second King, Golden King!
New Kings were born!
Ren's gaze was peculiar.
He glanced at the Dresden Slate, which was pulsing with a faint, satisfied light.
Was this a reward... or a bribe?
In an instant, he understood his new abilities.
As the new Colorless King, he was now in charge not of "change" and "interference" like the previous one, but of "Time Sequence."
Simply put.
It was the power of time.
He glanced at his information; a new ability had been added to his ability list.
[S-rank Ability: King of Chronos (Lv. 5)]
He looked at Mikoto Suoh and asked, "What is the rank of your King's ability?"
Mikoto Suoh was roused from the shock of two new Kings being born right before his eyes.
He paused and replied, "A-rank. Red King."
… …
The Dresden Slate gave him an S-rank ability, and started it directly at Lv. 5. What did that mean?
Did it sense that I was planning to mess with it, and bribed me?
He had indeed thought about trying to consume the Slate with Gluttony, but that idea only existed for a moment.
Now that he seemed to have gained new benefits, he would let it off the hook. For now.
As for Kiana and Rory Takakura.
The two had now returned to normal, the strange phenomena around them fading.
Ren raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's going on with you two?"
Rory Takakura looked at her hands, frost still faintly clinging to her fingertips. "I... I seem to have become some kind of Irregular. I gained an A-rank ability, Ice Manipulation."
… …
Ren's eyebrow twitched. So you, an Irregular, are as strong as a King? This Slate is generous.
Kiana, however, curved her lips, placed her hands on her hips in a completely unladylike pose, and laughed triumphantly: "Hahaha, I'm the Golden King now! I preside over the 'Void,' and my ability is S-rank! King of the Void!"
Her eyes were smug, and with a flick of her hand, a small spatial rift appeared, showing a glimpse of empty space.
She looked at Ren, thinking he would be very surprised, very shocked.
But she didn't expect...
Ren was looking at her with an extremely strange, almost pitiful, gaze.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that?" Kiana asked blankly, her triumph fading.
Ren just shook his head, saying nothing.
In fact, he really wanted to retort in his heart.
Kiana already had the Herrscher of the Void sealed inside her, and now she's become the King of the Void... this is truly a bizarre, and likely disastrous, combination.
Judging by the current situation of the three of them...
The stone tablet was blatantly, desperately bribing them.
Ren just smiled about it and said nothing.
"We should leave now."
After Ren finished speaking, he prepared to leave.
However, a scratching motion on his arm caught his attention.
The little white cat was clutching his sleeve, its mismatched eyes filled with complex emotions: fear, hesitation, and a desperate plea.
"What do you want to say?" Ren asked, his voice softening.
After some hesitation, the little white cat glowed with a soft, white light.
Immediately after, in front of everyone, she transformed from a cat into a beautiful young girl with long pink hair, blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes, and dressed in a simple white dress.
"Can I... Can I join your clan, my lord?"
The girl's voice was clear and sweet as she nervously asked, twisting the hem of her dress.
"A clan?"
Ren stroked his chin.
He was now the King of Chronos, a King.
Logically, he should also be able to establish a clan.
Ren asked, "What is your name?"
The girl frowned in thought... she couldn't recall her name.
In reality, she had used her memory alteration ability on herself so many times that she had caused herself to forget her own name.
Unable to remember, she looked up: "I'm... I'm called Neko."
"Alright, Neko."
He nodded without hesitation.
With just a thought, a "link" was established, and Neko became the first member of his clan.
At the same time, he also used his dominion over her as a member. He was destined to leave, so he had to bring his new clansman back with him.
Feeling the new, warm connection with Ren, Neko seemed eager but also hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.
Ren smiled slightly: "Ren. That's my name."
Neko's eyes immediately lit up, and she pounced onto Ren, hugging his arm and rubbing her cheek against him like a real cat. "Ren-kun!"
She loved this sense of security!
"..."
Kiana and Rory Takakura exchanged glances.
For a moment, they didn't understand what was happening.
Ren let Neko rub against him, then looked at Rory Takakura and suggested, "Do you want to join my clan as well?"
"Can I?" Rory Takakura's eyes brightened, a hint of expectation in them.
"Wow! I want Rory-chan to join my clan too! I'm a King now!" Kiana exclaimed, sounding like a child wanting a new toy.
Ren curled his lips: "Let Rory Takakura choose for herself."
After a brief hesitation, Rory Takakura sincerely apologized to Kiana: "I'm sorry, Kiana-san, but... I still want to join Ren-san's clan. He's my savior."
Instantly, Kiana deflated like a balloon, looking disheartened: "Alright..."
Rory Takakura immediately became a member of Ren's "Time Order" Clan. This time, he didn't use dominion, as Rory Takakura was destined to return to her own world.
"Then we should leave now. Goodbye."
He casually sent Mikoto Suoh out of the Mihashira Tower, and then he, Kiana, Rory, and Neko all confirmed their return.
"Woah! Where is this?"
Suddenly appearing in an unfamiliar bedroom, Neko shivered, her face filled with vigilance as she hid behind Ren.
Ren stroked her head, comforting her: "This is my home. No need to be so nervous."
"Ren-kun's home?"
Upon hearing this, Neko's vigilance turned into curiosity, and she looked around everywhere.
Soon, her eyes locked onto the bulging quilt on the bed and the small black cat by his bedside.
The quilt stirred, and Kanae sat up, her naked form silhouetted by the moonlight.
She rubbed her eyes, her long black hair naturally falling to cover her modesty.
She said sleepily, "Ren, you're back. And... who is this?"
"She's Neko, my..."
Ren paused, unable to think of how to address her for a moment.
Neko glowed, instantly transforming into her small white cat form, and declared proudly from his shoulder: "I am Ren-kun's pet!"
"Eh?!"
Kanae's sleepiness vanished instantly. A person... had just suddenly turned into a cat.
Her startled cry also woke up Haru, who was sleeping soundly by the bedside.
The black cat immediately saw Neko's presence on Ren's shoulder and instantly arched its back, hissing. "Meow!" (Who are you?!)
"I am Neko, Ren-kun's pet," Neko said with an arrogant expression.
"Meow?"
Haru relaxed its arched body and tilted its head, looking at Ren, asking for confirmation.
"That's right, Haru. Neko is my... well, pet."
Since she said so herself, Ren had no choice but to go along with it.
Having received Ren's affirmation, Haru's vigilance towards Neko completely vanished.
The black cat even ran over to her side and actively patted her head: "Meow, meow, meow!" (Don't worry, I'm familiar with this place, I'll protect you!)
"??"
Neko tilted her head, a flash of light, and she instantly transformed back into her beautiful human girl form.
"Meow???"
Haru was stunned, stumbling backward.
This cat... This cat can turn into a human?!
Why can't I transform?!
Haru looked at her own paws adorably, confused.
She tried her best to stand on her two hind feet, wanting to learn from Neko and become human.
"Pfft!"
This sight truly made Ren and Kanae burst into laughter.
...
The next day, Ren introduced Neko to the others.
They were all just extremely curious about Neko's ability to transform.
Especially Yukino and Abe no Seimei.
As a top-tier cat lover, Yukino absolutely adored Neko's small white cat form, never getting tired of petting her.
Abe no Seimei, on the other hand, kept poking Neko and saying that she was a Nekomata or a Bakeneko, asking where her second tail was, which annoyed Neko greatly.
He had originally planned to arrange her in another empty room in his house.
But Neko wasn't willing; she insisted on turning into a kitten and sleeping on his bed.
She said she was imitating Haru, and he reluctantly agreed.
However, Ren still had to go to school today.
He could only leave her in the temporary care of Sayuri and the others.
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