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...
"Such a pity—such beautiful vessels, and such nauseating souls inside."
Looking at the elf sisters before him, Takumi let out a sigh. Whatever regret he'd felt vanished in an instant, replaced by coldness.
At the sound of his voice, Dina and Vena's smiles withered, their faces curdling with spite.
"We are bona fide elves!"
"That kind of comment is way out of line! Way out of line! Way out of line!"
Proud to the bone, they snapped into hysteria in a heartbeat.
They split roles without a word: the elder sister, Dina, drew two short swords and lunged like a hound to force close combat; the younger, Vena, stayed at range, driving spells and magic swords in support.
In a single breath Dina was in his face—two chill points of steel darting straight for Takumi's eyes.
Takumi's expression didn't shift, not even at the last instant.
Clang!
The tips that stabbed for his eyes struck something unyielding; sparks spat wide. Rebound force whipped back up their blades, webbing cracks down the steel.
At the same time blood split Dina's soft palms, and the hate in her eyes flickered—turning suddenly, impossibly clear.
The sheer absurdity of the moment rocked her to the core. Before she could make a sound, Takumi—without even a blink—pressed three fingers together.
"[Domain Expansion—Phantasmal Nightmare]!"
Dark, uncanny space unrolled and swallowed the sisters whole.
Takumi's figure vanished from Dina's sight and reappeared atop a high-rise. Looking down on the stunned pair in the street, he gave an easy wave.
The slit-mouthed woman's seductive silhouette bloomed behind him; with her came Valetta's form. The Arachnia, who only ever wanted a good fight, no longer snarled like before—fear had taken root in her eyes.
While Takumi had ignored her, the slit-mouthed woman had killed her not a hundred times but more. True lingchi without release had shattered even Valetta's iron will. She glanced from the elf sisters back up to Takumi on the rooftop, brow knitting.
"What do you even want from me? If you've got any guts, make it quick!"
"Hehe. Begging for death already, are we? No such luck, Valetta." Takumi smiled. "Here's your chance—kill those two and make them the same as you. Then at least you'll have company. No need to thank me."
He tossed out the order and stepped out of the domain, leaving control to the slit-mouthed woman.
As his presence faded, Valetta turned stormy eyes on the dumbstruck sisters. She flicked her wrist; a black-red greatsword filled her grip. That cruel, bloody smile returned to her face.
"Hahaha! Sorry, girls. Dragging others down with me—that's what hits the spot. And I've got an itch. I really want to kill something."
She pounced like a leopard—scarlet light streaking for the pair. With no idea what was going on, the sisters had no choice but to meet her head-on.
In that eerie, twisted city of the nightmare, the three of them tore into a brawl to the death.
…
Back on Orario's battlefields, Takumi played the perfect combat medic.
"[Heal], [Heal], [Heal]!"
Killing had nothing on saving lives. Alone, he brought more than 80% of the wounded adventurers back from the brink. Under the endless flare of his healing light, his name spread through the entire city.
Before the gods could coin him a title, the adventurers of Orario had one ready: the Healing Hero. Takumi could only roll his eyes—but the Cross-World Gate climbing to 2695% made him smile and let it slide.
Now, the moment he appeared, cheers erupted.
"He's insane—my severed arm was back in a heartbeat!"
"My familia's god isn't worth a single hair of the Hero's—build him a statue! I'll worship daily!"
"Even the Silver Saint's healing can't touch the Hero's!"
…
In that chorus, one "Saint" in particular—Amid Teasanare, captain of the city's top pharmaceutical familia, the Dian Cecht Familia—puffed her cheeks despite herself. Silver hair, violet-blue eyes, white vestments; she'd just healed a crowd, and they'd defected in the very next breath. Who wouldn't be miffed?
But when her gaze met Takumi's across the field—when her heart jolted, and the blush spread over the fair skin at the edges of her vestments—what jealousy she had melted. Especially when he, with a flick of his finger, restored a man who was down to half a body; she could only concede.
He was stronger than she was. Could she… ask him to teach her?
She tried to step forward, but Takumi was already sprinting for the next hotspot. You can flirt with a pretty girl any time; jackpots like this surge of progress don't come often.
With his help, the flames and screams blanketing Orario finally gave a hint of calm. He'd already cut down most of the dark faction's heavy hitters; the stragglers were small fry the city's adventurers could mop up themselves.
Focused on rescues, Takumi finally capped out the meter.
[Cross-World Gate Progress: 3159%]
"Perfect. That's a haul."
He knew this was only the start; the afterglow of today's attention would keep feeding him for a while yet. The only regret: no chance to quietly knock off another god or two. Soma was one thing—but murdering a god in front of the whole pantheon was just asking for it.
"Didn't get it? Not a loss. Don't get greedy—take it slow. Farming goddess drops is easier anyway."
With that thought, he tracked down Hestia and Haruhime, who'd taken shelter with Hephaestus.
"Takumi-kun!"
"Takumi-sama~~!"
They dove into him at once, clinging tight—two different kinds of overwhelming softness easing every last ache. He'd barely had a few seconds to enjoy it when Meteria shouldered them aside.
"Takumin~~"
Sweet perfume and an even more staggering softness closed over his face again.
"Mmph—!"
Hestia and Haruhime shot jealous looks at Meteria, but neither dared pipe up. Seniority ruled the roost—and Meteria outranked them both.
....
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