He knew himself.
Ren knew that if he got sloppy, it would be a problem.
He came from the age of information overload—where everyone knows a little of everything, and almost no one truly masters anything.
As for Oba-san and his daughter—
he trusted Oba-san out of love; she would never harm him.
He trusted his daughter out of aligned interests; for now, their goals were bound together.
Whether Eirin and Kaguya wished to shake off the Lunar Capital's shackles or to seek revenge, they needed him.
No one knew Ren's Traits in detail, but "work hard and you grow stronger" was outrageous enough.
Likewise,
Ren needed Eirin's sheltering hand behind him.
Mutual need.
Of course,
that was the present arrangement; in time, feelings would grow naturally.
They were father and daughter, after all—though whether that bond would… shift?
Hard to say.
"I see." Kaguya's expression barely changed; she only nodded, understanding. "Father has, under this humble one's 'Eternity and the Instant,' gained the ability to travel to other worlds."
"You just tested time."
"Correct."
"I spent an hour over there," Ren said, "and upon return, no time had passed here."
"Shall we keep testing?" Kaguya asked.
"We should. Next, I need to see if time is linked both ways. I noted the time there before leaving."
"Very well."
They sat together, father and daughter, analyzing the situation.
Ren described the world he'd entered; Kaguya considered what samples to bring back. With a few, Eirin could likely crack that zombie virus with ease.
Time slipped by.
An hour later,
Ren stood. "Kaguya, I'm going back. I'll bring samples."
He raised the crystal vials she'd given him, drew a line with his will, and vanished.
"May Father's martial fortunes be abundant…" Kaguya folded her hands at her abdomen and bowed.
…
13:38.
Ren returned. He squinted at the clock, murmuring, "Only a minute passed? One hour to one minute… or…?"
Preliminary, inconclusive.
Rather than hop back immediately, he headed toward the direction he'd marked.
Along the way,
he dismantled a stray zombie—no "core" of any kind.
He filled ten crystal vials with samples, stowed them, and moved on.
"Human life."
Sweeping the city with his mind,
Ren finally caught living human signatures. His brow lifted—one step—
and he vanished.
Shukuchi—"shrinking the earth"—a technique of the gods. Ren's Trait had folded it cleanly into Mastery of All Arms.
He'd only studied about a third of the texts Eirin had sent.
He'd planned to keep reading, but the new [Prismatic • Gate of Myriad Worlds] had pushed the books down the queue.
On a ravaged street,
purple hair, matted with blood, hung dry and stiff. A torn JK uniform clung to a lithe frame. Black over-knee socks on long legs were shredded—the very picture of battle damage.
A face like a Yamato nadeshiko was twisted into gleeful ferocity; violet eyes burned with madness.
She held her blade one-handed. With a single sweep, the zombies around her fell like rag dolls.
But the slight wobble in those long legs and the tremor in her arms showed the truth:
she was at her limit.
"Is this the end?"
As more and more dead pressed in, her body finally failed; one knee touched the ground, her sword point bracing the asphalt.
A deafening roar.
Over three meters tall, a hulking, triple-door–fridge of a zombie—a mountain of muscle—stomped closer, the ground shuddering.
"Zombies… have evolved this far?" Her pupils shrank to pinpricks.
Then—
fear?
No.
She pushed up by the blade, rising slowly. On that elegant, wifely face bloomed only frenzy and hunger.
She leveled the sword, voice sweet yet feverish. "To die in battle like this… how wonderful—"
And then, a sight to stun the world: a pale, clean hand appeared as if from nowhere.
It traced the giant's body once—and the creature fell apart like a stitched doll ripped at the seams.
"Apologies. Did I steal your prey?"
Ren's figure took shape as the titan collapsed. He looked at the purple-haired woman and smiled gently.
Saeko.
At home, the picture of a Yamato nadeshiko; in public, poised and gracious; in battle, blood-drunk and exultant.
Contradiction made flesh—upbringing, environment, true nature—woven into a singular charm.
"Looks like you ran into a spot of trouble."
Ren opened his hand. A single sweeping motion—silent blade-wind fanned out.
Every zombie closing from the four directions
fell in two.
Facing him, Saeko felt only a cool breeze across her cheek—
and not a whisper of danger.
(End of Chapter)
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