The entire Tree of Life crew gathered on the deck, staring at the calm sea stretching out before them.
However, one person was not there.
Yuuto.
The sea breeze blew gently, carrying a salty scent.
No one spoke—until suddenly…
CLNK
The heavy sound of metal echoed from the direction of the sea.
Miku straightened her posture.
"Did it work?"
"It seems so," Irene replied confidently.
"When it makes that sound," Kuroneko added while crossing her arms,
"it means he's finished."
Silence once again enveloped the deck.
Then—
On the surface of the sea they were watching, large bubbles began to appear.
One… two… more and more.
And suddenly—
WOOOSH!
Something burst out of the sea.
Yuuto.
He shot into the air and landed smoothly on the deck of the Belfast—
bare-chested, water still dripping from his hair and body.
Belfast immediately approached him and handed him a towel.
"Welcome back, Commander."
"Thank you, Belfast," Yuuto replied as he took the towel and dried himself.
Lady Avalon stepped forward, her staff lightly tapping the deck.
"How was it, my disciple? Did you succeed?"
Yuuto smiled faintly.
"Yes, Sensei. I succeeded."
He patted his own chest.
"I can now breathe underwater."
Kuroneko looked at something above Yuuto's head, then sighed.
"I already guessed it from the form and the name, but now it's clear… This is Mahoraga's adaptation."
"A power that looks simple," Irene said calmly,
"but extremely dangerous in the hands of someone as strong as Yuuto."
"So Yuuto doesn't have to worry anymore, right?" Yamato said with a grin.
"He can deal with any attack."
"As long as the attack doesn't completely destroy Yuuto in an instant," Kuroneko replied,
"there's no problem."
"But Yuuto's body itself is already absurd," Miku added.
"With Arthur's body and genuine fae… plus the world's affection for Yuuto, I doubt anything could destroy him instantly."
Lady Avalon smiled proudly.
"My disciple keeps growing stronger."
She looked at Yuuto as if evaluating her greatest masterpiece.
"With this, Yuuto no longer needs to worry about surpassing his limits during training."
Yuuto laughed softly.
"Hahaha… this ability really suits me."
He turned to Kuroneko.
"With this, I can keep evolving, right?"
"Obviously," Kuroneko answered quickly.
"But before that—you need to deal with the dharma wheel above your head first."
She pointed upward.
"Everyone can see it."
Yuuto looked up.
"As for that…"
He smiled calmly.
"I can handle it."
Click.
The dharma wheel above Yuuto's head began to fade… until it disappeared completely.
Irene raised an eyebrow.
"You're using illusion magic to hide it?"
"Yes," Yuuto replied casually.
"And I also embedded sound-dampening magic."
After that, Yuuto stood still, examining his body. He was worried whether his body was truly fine after breathing underwater earlier.
Meanwhile, the other Tree of Life members continued staring at Yuuto standing on the deck—
bare-chested, with a towel draped over his shoulders.
Their gazes lingered too long.
Lady Avalon finally cleared her throat softly.
"My disciple," she said casually but sharply,
"you should cover your body soon… before someone starts having improper thoughts and loses control."
Lady Avalon's gaze swept over them one by one.
Kuroneko snapped out of her daze and hurriedly wiped the drool from her lips.
"W-what do you mean, Lady Avalon?!" she said nervously, her face bright red.
"I-I'm not thinking anything weird at all!"
Irene tried hard to look away, though her eyes occasionally stole glances at Yuuto's abdomen, wet from seawater.
After hearing Lady Avalon's words, she turned her face away completely.
"..."
Belfast smiled gracefully, closing her eyes slightly.
"Please don't worry, Commander. I will not attack you."
She opened her eyes again, her voice still gentle.
"If I ever wished to… I would, of course, ask for permission first."
"..."
Yuuto blinked.
"Oh—sorry," he said with an awkward smile.
"I forgot."
He raised his hand slightly.
"Requip."
Light flashed briefly, and Arthur's armor immediately covered Yuuto's body.
Kuroneko stared at the sight with a face full of disappointment.
Yamato chuckled and raised her arm.
"Why do you all want to see Yuuto's muscles so badly?"
She flexed her own bicep proudly.
"Mine aren't any worse! If you want to see them, just say so!"
Irene let out a long sigh.
"…Your innocence really saves situations sometimes, Yamato."
Yuuto clapped his hands lightly, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright, that's enough."
"Let's continue with our activities now."
He guided them into the cabin.
However—
Someone remained standing on the deck.
Miku.
She stood there, staring at Yuuto's retreating back.
Then—
A soft yet piercing whisper reached her ears.
"Ara~ ara~
What a shame, Miku. We couldn't enjoy his body a little longer."
Miku flinched.
"Be quiet."
A shadow appeared behind her.
Long hair—similar to Miku's, but pitch black.
A gothic dress adorned with lace.
Glowing red eyes filled with desire and obsession.
Her face… was exactly the same as Miku's.
The figure floated lightly around Miku.
"Look at him," the figure said in a sweet yet poisonous voice.
"So tempting, isn't he?"
She pointed at Yuuto, who was walking farther away.
"I wouldn't mind submitting to him. He's perfect as my king and my Adam."
Miku clenched her teeth.
"Stop it. I don't want to hear anything from you."
The figure—Lilith, the Demon King—smiled widely.
She hugged Miku from behind, resting her chin on Miku's shoulder.
"How cruel of you, Miku. You were the one who awakened me."
"It wasn't me," Miku replied, trembling.
"It was… it was the group."
"Wrong," Lilith whispered.
"The group only accelerated it."
She appeared in front of Miku in an instant, lifting Miku's chin with one finger.
"I've been inside you from the very beginning."
"I am you."
"You are me."
"We are one—only separated. My desire is your desire, and your desire is my desire."
Miku's eyes began to empty.
"Tell me," Lilith whispered gently.
"What do you desire most, Miku?"
Miku's lips trembled.
"I-I want… Yuu—"
"MIKU!"
Yuuto's voice called out from the cabin entrance.
"Miku, why are you just standing there?"
"It's getting late. Come inside."
"You'll catch a cold."
!!!
Miku's consciousness snapped back.
She lifted her head.
Yuuto was standing at the cabin door, looking at her with concern.
"O-okay, Yuuto," Miku replied quickly.
She hurried after Yuuto.
As she left, Lilith still stood there, smiling faintly.
"It's fine," she whispered softly.
"I can wait."
"After all… in the end, he will surely belong to us. Hehehe~ I can't wait to do that together with Miku and my Adam."
Lilith's shadow slowly faded beneath the disappearing twilight.
And night began to fall.
---
The Belfast's lounge felt calm.
Yuuto and the entire Tree of Life crew sat on neatly arranged plush sofas. Warm lighting reflected softly off the ship's steel walls.
"So… the group unlocked a new feature, huh?" Yuuto asked, leaning back.
"Yes," Kuroneko replied with a nod.
"While you were unconscious, the group opened a new feature—an offline room. We can meet directly there. A kind of special space."
"Have you tried entering it yet?" Yuuto asked.
"Not yet," Irene replied briefly.
"We waited until you woke up. Then we'd go together."
Yamato immediately raised her hand enthusiastically.
"How about we check it out now, Yuuto? I'm really curious about that place!"
Yuuto smiled faintly.
"Hm… what do you all think?"
"I'm in," Kuroneko said casually.
"Same," Miku added.
Irene and Lady Avalon exchanged glances and nodded. Belfast also agreed.
"Alright," Yuuto said as he stood up.
"If everyone's in, let's do it."
He opened his folding phone and activated the group's new feature.
Suddenly, a bright light enveloped them—and the entire Belfast.
Their vision blurred.
And—
The entire Belfast vanished from the sea.
Somewhere in the ocean—
The Belfast reappeared, complete with its entire crew.
Yuuto slowly opened his eyes.
"Is everyone… alright?" he asked.
"Belfast, how's the ship?"
"No problems, Commander," Belfast replied calmly.
"All ship systems are operating normally."
"We're fine as well," Lady Avalon added.
The others nodded, confirming their safety.
"Phew… thank goodness," Yuuto sank into the sofa.
"But… what was that light just now?"
"It seems that light transported us somewhere," Lady Avalon said, pointing toward the window. The curtains were closed, but a small gap let light through.
"Eh… what light is that?" Miku approached and pulled the curtain aside.
And—
The scenery outside had completely changed.
"Wasn't it night just now?" Kuroneko murmured.
"Yeah," Yuuto replied.
"But… why is the sun still there?" Yamato squinted.
Yuuto turned to Lady Avalon.
"Sensei… don't tell me this is—"
"Yes," Lady Avalon answered.
"This is another world."
"We'd better go outside to confirm," Irene said.
---
The Empty Sea
They went out onto the deck.
All they saw was an endless ocean.
"Is this still Yamato's world?" Miku asked softly.
"I don't know," Yamato stared at the empty horizon.
"Let's find out," Yuuto said.
"Belfast, move straight ahead."
"Yes, Commander."
The ship sailed for several hours.
But still—
Nothing.
No islands, no animals, no plants.
"Is this really a world? It's so empty," Miku said quietly.
"Yes," Lady Avalon replied.
"This world seems to contain nothing but sea and land."
"So this is the space prepared by the group?" Irene asked.
"Obviously," Kuroneko said.
"This world exists only for meetings. Completely empty."
"Yuuto, can you try something to change this world?" Miku asked.
Yuuto patted Miku's head.
"Alright… I'll try something."
Yuuto stepped to the front of the ship.
"Yuuto, what are you going to do?" Yamato asked.
"I'm going to make our base better."
He jumped into the sea and stood on the water's surface.
Yuuto stretched his body, doing a few warm-up movements.
"Alright," he said softly.
"Let's begin."
Click.
He snapped his fingers.
Then Yuuto pressed both palms against the surface of the sea.
Lady Avalon smiled.
"Oh… my disciple is trying something interesting."
The sea began to tremble.
Brrrrrr—
Massive waves rolled, yet the Belfast remained perfectly stable.
"What is Yuuto doing?" Kuroneko asked tensely.
"He's creating an island," Lady Avalon replied calmly.
"An island…?" Yamato gasped.
"Is that even possible?"
"Of course," Lady Avalon answered confidently.
And then—
Land shaped like hills began to rise from the sea, slowly lifting…
growing larger…
Until finally—
A massive island fully emerged.
"Look!" Miku exclaimed.
"An island!"
Its size—
As large as Tokyo.
"Is that really an island?" Irene asked.
The land was still empty, without vegetation.
Yuuto pulled his hands away from the sea.
"Yes," he said.
"And this will be our meeting place from now on."
He gazed calmly at the island.
"It's still empty. But someday, this place will fill itself—with plants, animals, humans, dragons, fairies, of every race."
Yuuto then turned back toward the ship.
Still standing on the sea, he lowered his head slightly, as if welcoming royal guests.
"Welcome," he said softly yet with authority,
"my queens…
to our future kingdom."
Camelot.