Around the Wilton Hotel...
Cloaked witches holding dull-yellow crystal balls chanted solemnly with grave expressions.
At their forefront stood Lana, her hood removed to reveal a face of pure beauty, gazing intently at the hotel building distorted by massive techniques. A triumphant smirk played on her lips:
"Using half the faith we've collected these past days and gathering 128 witches, we've finally completed this technique!"
"The Great Mystery - Rhongomyniad - constructed based on the world-anchoring spear from Welsh legend."
Above the Wilton Hotel, within a massive magic circle composed of sun, moon and stars, a dazzling golden spear of radiant light shimmered brilliantly.
Gazing at the world-anchoring spear fixed in the firmament, Lana declared with smug satisfaction:
"Its function is to alter the fissures between worlds, anchoring an Abyss world close to reality within the real world."
"In other words, it's a massive spatial technique that forcibly drags an Abyss world into reality and restricts all means of spatial escape."
"With this, the SDS Director is now confined within the Abyss world."
"And the credit for all this..."
Lana turned her head at this point, grinning like a fox that had successfully stolen a chicken, as she looked at Oko Shinomiya, who was being restrained by two witches beside her:
"Half of it belongs to you, Mr Oko Shinomiya."
Lana's smile was exceptionally radiant:
"If you hadn't successfully isolated the Director of the Hidden Management Department, how could we have trapped him in the Abyss world?"
Oko Shinomiya's face was ashen, as if the sky had collapsed.
In fact, it might as well have.
Luo Shu, with whom he had just reached a consensus and was about to begin cooperation, had been imprisoned in the Abyss world by the Desire Faction of Truth Astronomy—and the one who contributed most to this was himself?
This was the most infuriating thing imaginable.
"Why are you showing me this...?" Oko Shinomiya, who had been dragged from his home in the middle of the night by witches, looked utterly horrified.
To this, Lana's smile remained sweet and innocent:
"Because you weren't being honest, of course~"
"If you had just cooperated obediently, we might have considered sparing you afterwards. But you had to go and seek an alliance with Director Luo Shu."
"Though this did help us immensely—after all, our Desire Faction alone would have struggled to isolate him—but..."
Lana's expression cooled slightly:
"But witches, you see, are the kind of people who despise betrayal the most~"
With that, she beamed again:
"Tell me, if the Hidden Management Department were to learn that their Director had been lured into an unknown Abyss world due to the schemes of Oko Shinomiya, heir to the Shinomiya family..."
"Do you think they would dispatch their Demigods to clean house?"
At these words, Oko Shinomiya's face could no longer be described with mere colours.
He was already regretting why he had ever set foot in the Shinomiya household.
Why did he have to encounter such a thing?!
It was these witches who had forced him into cooperation, these women who had pressured him into seeking a powerful ally—leading him straight to Luo Shu—and now they were pinning all the blame on him?!
This was outright bullying!!!
Ignoring Oko Shinomiya's breakdown, Lana turned away, her expression solemn as she observed the world fixed by Rhongomyniad.
"Now, the most unpredictable enemy is finally contained."
"Next, we'll have to deal with the two Demigods from the Hidden Management Department."
Thinking of Origami Tobiichi and Kurumi Tokisaki's faces, Lana relaxed slightly.
Though Demigods were formidable opponents, she was confident that with the Desire Faction's resources and the Gorgon family's foundation, they could stall these two.
Once that was done, storming the Hidden Management Department, seizing the pureblood demon Kisara, and retrieving Aya Tokoyogi would no longer be an issue.
So...
"It's time to spread the news."
Lana glanced at Rhongomyniad in the sky, then turned and left without hesitation.
...
Near the Wilton Hotel in the Minato ward, atop an apartment building.
"After all this elaborate planning and mobilising so many people, it's just to restrain the Director of the Hidden Management Department?"
Emilia wore a puzzled expression as she scratched Puck's chin with her finger, voicing her confusion:
"Senior Lana is actually this cautious?"
This tactic wasn't aimed at restraining Origami Tobiichi or a Demigod like Kurumi Tokisaki, but rather focused on Luo Shu. This left Emilia somewhat perplexed.
"Heh, it's not caution."
Echidna emerged from the shadows behind Emilia with a smile:
"She's simply doing what needs to be done."
"What needs to be done?"
Emilia remained confused. Though she wasn't particularly fond of Echidna, she had to admit the woman knew many hidden secrets:
"Does Director Luo Shu have some special quality?"
"Isn't he just another Top Tier Class holder like me?"
That Luo Shu possessed a Top Tier Class had been confirmed by a high-ranking figure from True Hell itself.
Yet even so, a Hero Rank with a Top Tier Class still couldn't compare to a true Demigod who wielded Conceptual Power.
The latter's suppression of the former was nearly absolute.
That's why Emilia found it strange they'd used the Abyss world's special confinement on the department director rather than the two Demigods in the Hidden Management Department.
From a threat assessment perspective, those two Demigods clearly posed greater danger.
Hearing this, Echidna narrowed her eyes with an enigmatic smile:
"Just a Top Tier Class holder? That's a dangerous way to view that man, Emilia."
Emilia frowned at these words.
Echidna didn't bother being cryptic, stating directly:
"Unlike those two Demigods who appeared suddenly in this world with completely untraceable origins, this director has verifiably lived in this world for nearly 18 years."
Her expression grew playful:
"Heh, no matter how hard the SDS intelligence tries to conceal it, they can't change this fact."
"But eighteen years... a full eighteen years..."
"For all that time, this man never displayed any mystic side talents, never used any abilities, never achieved notable success in any field."
"Yet this same person joined the Hidden Management Department and became a so-called Demigod within just over a month."
"All forms of divination fail to work directly on him. Every documented record is shrouded in mystery."
"Don't you find that... peculiar?"
Hearing this, even Emilia sensed something strange.
Someone with no prior exposure or display of supernatural abilities suddenly becoming a Demigod?
If it wasn't a case of impersonation, then what exactly was Luo Shu's situation?
As this thought occurred, Puck, perched on Emilia's shoulder, spoke in a grave tone:
"Reincarnation!"
"Just like Joan of Arc from Western Europe, Hao Asakura from the East, and Pride from the Hell Sect, this Luo Shu might also be the reincarnation of some ancient being."
"Only that can explain his rapid growth rate."
"Because it's not growth at all—it's simply reclaiming the power he originally possessed."
Hearing this, Echidna remained silent, merely glancing at Emilia.
Emilia couldn't help but look towards the Wilton Hotel, which had long since separated from the real world, and said with sudden realisation:
"So that's why Senior Lana needed to eliminate Director Luo Shu in advance?"
A reincarnation of an ancient being.
Who knew what terrifying contingencies he might have left behind?
Facing such an enemy was likely even more dangerous than confronting a Demigod directly.
That was why Lana needed to use a grand ritual like the Anchor of the World's Spear to remove Luo Shu from the battlefield beforehand.
Otherwise, the risk would simply be too high—far beyond what Lana could accept.
Having figured out the reason, Puck let out a slight sigh of relief, though he remained vigilant:
"Now that we've temporarily restrained him, the next step is dealing with the other Demigods from the Hidden Management Department."
"From here on, it'll depend on how the Hidden Management Department responds."
So, what would they do?
Puck felt a faint unease. Could the preparations of the Desire Faction really stand against the Hidden Management Department?