At the same moment, the notification sounded.
Mukuro Hoshimiya, standing between Luo Shu and Lacus, suddenly let out a muffled groan. A simplified golden pattern resembling a padlock appeared at the centre of her forehead.
Simultaneously, in the distant horizon, where the towering tree of light spanned the heavens and earth, specks of golden radiance began to bloom.
As the Kabbalah Tree shimmered with light, a dazzling, sun-like golden glow enveloped Mukuro's body.
In an instant.
Luo Shu and Lacus instinctively released Mukuro's hands.
As the brilliance intensified, Mukuro floated into the air, her body curling into a fetal position, as if in the throes of gestation.
"My, my. So this is how a Spirit's ascension looks."
Emerging from the shadows in a swirl of black and red, Kurumi Tokisaki stepped beside Luo Shu, watching the floating Mukuro with mild surprise.
Excluding her own experience, this was the first time she had witnessed a Spirit forming a contract with Luo Shu.
Meanwhile, though Lacus was somewhat worried about Mukuro, she still let out a small sigh of relief at the sight.
"It seems your guess was correct, Luo Shu. After signing the contract, Spirits gain the power of the Almighty God Class."
Natsuki Minamiya glanced at Mukuro Hoshimiya, who was floating mid-air, recalling her own experience when she had contracted with a demon. She sighed softly:
"...An excessively powerful blessing may not necessarily be a good thing."
Natsuki vaguely sensed that such a drastic promotion might conceal hidden pitfalls, leaving her somewhat concerned.
Hearing this, Luo Shu fell silent for a moment before smiling:
"If it's not necessarily good, then let's find a way to make it good."
Luo Shu knew of Mio Takamiya's existence as the Spirit of Origin above all Spirits, and understood how powerless Spirit abilities were against her, who symbolised Almighty God.
But apologies—now, the power of the Almighty God Class, including Mio Takamiya herself, was suppressed within this twilight.
As long as Luo Shu existed, as long as the Divine Kingdom's power continued its suppression, Mio's influence over Mukuro Hoshimiya would remain nullified.
Thus, the negative aspects of this Almighty God Class blessing weren't without solutions.
Deepening his mastery over the Divine Kingdom's power to continuously suppress Mio and prevent her influence over the Spirits—that was Luo Shu's method.
As this thought crossed his mind, a notification chime sounded in Luo Shu's ears.
Immediately, he looked up at Mukuro Hoshimiya in the sky and murmured:
"It's begun."
[Congratulations, Familia member Mukuro Hoshimiya has awakened the Sixth Power: Beauty.]
In that instant, ancient and weighty golden padlock patterns emerged on Mukuro's forehead and behind her.
After their appearance, the golden padlocks twisted and reshaped behind her, eventually forming an irregularly shaped staff resembling a key.
"First stage awakens dormant power, second stage awakens inherent abilities..."
Kurumi Tokisaki watched Mukuro and couldn't help murmuring.
When she contracted with Luo Shu and became a Demigod, the first power she awakened was actually the space-symbolising Mad Emperor.
Only afterwards did she awaken Zafkiel, representing time.
According to Kurumi's understanding, the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System deliberately prioritised awakening their most difficult-to-master abilities first to reduce subsequent mastery difficulty.
Unfortunately, even now, Kurumi didn't fully comprehend the concrete benefits of this approach.
Still, with the second Spirit already found by Luo Shu, she suspected answers wouldn't remain distant for long.
Meanwhile, seeing Mukuro's power transition from locks to keys, Luo Shu exhaled slightly in relief:
"It's nearly over."
At that precise moment, another notification chimed in his ears.
[Congratulations, Familia member Mukuro Hoshimiya has awakened the unique Class: Almighty God's Key.]
[Congratulations, Familia member Mukuro Hoshimiya has obtained the title: Key Angel.]
Hearing this, Luo Shu immediately opened the system interface to check Almighty God's Key's description.
[Almighty God's Key: The blossom of the Sixth Power Beauty, the unique Class governing the authority to open and close all things—the power of the Creator's heart.]
After a brief glance, Luo Shu turned his gaze back to Mukuro.
By now, the floating girl had regained consciousness. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as her eyes opened, lingering briefly in confusion before clarity gradually returned.
The awakened Mukuro Hoshimiya blinked first, then lowered her head to glance around at everyone.
In an instant, Mukuro bent down, spread her arms, and floated straight over.
Seeing this, Lacus opened her arms with a mix of exasperation and amusement.
And then... Mukuro missed her target.
"Big Brother~~"
Luo Shu, who hadn't moved, was suddenly engulfed in a hug that left his mind completely blank.
Natsuki Minamiya glanced at Lacus with her frozen expression and outstretched arms, then at Luo Shu being enthusiastically nuzzled by Mukuro, before unfurling her folding fan to stifle a laugh:
"Girls are fickle by nature, after all~~"
Meanwhile, Luo Shu looked down at the clingy girl wrapped around him and couldn't help asking:
"Mukuro, did you hug the wrong person?"
"Did Muku get it wrong?" Mukuro stopped nuzzling and tilted her head in confusion.
Then she glanced at Lacus standing nearby with open arms, went "Oh~", released Luo Shu and pounced on her instead:
"Big Sister~~"
The girl's sweet cry didn't please Lacus - instead, it left her utterly bewildered.
Lacus was now questioning everything.
Had she really persuaded Mukuro to agree to form a contract with Luo Shu earlier? Or had this little trickster deliberately fallen into her trap just to get close to Luo Shu?
She knew it was impossible, but she couldn't help suspecting it!!
"My my, what a lively girl."
Kurumi Tokisaki smiled as she watched Mukuro and Lacus embracing, though whether her tone held genuine admiration or subtle teasing was unclear.
Hearing this, Luo Shu couldn't help muttering to himself:
"So, why did you hug me first just now?"
"Hehehe~~" Mukuro Hoshimiya simply giggled at the question, saying nothing.
She first nuzzled Lacus's cheek, then floated over to Luo Shu, hugging him tightly and rubbing against him like an overly clingy newborn kitten.
Luo Shu could only sigh helplessly at this girl.
"Fine, if you won't say, then forget it."
"Study your abilities properly, and when Natsuki and Kurumi create the passage later, you can help if they get stuck, alright?"
"Alright, Big Brother~~"