After successfully inviting Minerva, Eriri and the others did not linger but continued toward their next destination.
Compared to Echidna, Satella, and Minerva, Eriri's interest in the remaining four witches was not particularly strong. However, she did not abandon Echidna and the others in their search for them.
This time, they did not rely on the dragon carriage for the journey. At most, they would stroll through each city they arrived at before setting out again.
Thus, it took them only two days to locate the remaining four witches.
Just as Echidna had predicted, none of the remaining witches showed much resistance to her invitation. Even the slothful Witch of Sloth readily agreed.
After all, to the Witch of Sloth, lying around anywhere was the same. Traveling with fellow witches might even make her laziness more convenient.
As for the Witch of Lust, she was a timid, self-conscious girl with little will of her own. Moreover, due to the nature of her Authority, she could no longer remain in her homeland, so she naturally joined Echidna's group.
The Witch of Pride, on the other hand, was little more than a child. Though she often used her Authority to punish sinners, that habit stemmed from her father, who had been an executioner. Despite her violent tendencies, she was still an immature young girl at heart.
Under Echidna's persuasion, the Witch of Pride eagerly joined the so-called Savior Squad.
As for the Witch of Gluttony, her situation was even simpler. The negative effects of her Witch Factor had forced her to confine herself inside a narrow, upright coffin called the "Centipede Coffin." Her cursed eyes were covered by a black blindfold to prevent accidental activation.
Such restrictions had made her life unbearable. She was not a masochist, after all—there was no joy in being trapped in a cramped box.
At that point, Eriri stepped forward. As she had done with the others, she effortlessly dispelled the negative effects of the Witch Factor afflicting Gluttony.
Upon realizing that she would no longer lose control from hunger and that her eyes could now be freely opened or closed at will, the Witch of Gluttony immediately emerged from her coffin.
Freed at last, the Witch of Gluttony felt boundless gratitude toward Eriri and, by extension, grew fond of Echidna and the rest.
Thus, when Echidna invited her to join their group, she accepted without hesitation.
As for the three great magical beasts born from the Witch of Gluttony's power, Eriri did not intervene. To Echidna and the others, dealing with them would be a trivial matter. In fact, they could even use the beasts' subjugation to win public support—something that would greatly aid their future plans to found a nation.
Since time was still plentiful, Eriri did not hurry back to the Saekano world. Instead, she chose to continue traveling in this one, casually watching Echidna and the others as they worked toward founding their nation.
Of course, building a country was no simple feat. Even though the Seven Witches possessed enough power to destroy the heavens and earth, establishing a unified and prosperous world-spanning nation would still take years of effort.
In the original timeline, Echidna had indeed contributed to the creation of the City-State Federation of Kararagi—one of the Four Great Nations of the future—but she had not done so as a leader. Moreover, the ideals of that federation differed greatly from the vision she now held. Even if Satella's Witch Factor never went berserk to devour half the world, Echidna would have refused to participate in Kararagi's foundation.
In the world to come, the only nation standing would be the one built by the Seven Witches.
...
While Echidna and the others discussed the location for their new nation, an unexpected figure suddenly appeared.
...
Dozens of kilometers away from Eriri's group, a small girl wrapped in a thin white cloth was sprinting forward at an inhuman speed.
Though she was running, the girl's movements were nothing short of graceful—like a goddess walking among mortals.
Her long platinum-blonde hair flowed behind her, shimmering beneath the sunlight. Her deep blue eyes sparkled like polished gems, and the pale, flawless skin revealed beneath her white cloth glowed with ethereal beauty.
Her breathtaking appearance made even the surrounding scenery seem dull in comparison. One glance was enough to captivate any soul, rendering them unable to look away.
This girl was none other than the Witch of Vainglory—Pandora—the mysterious witch erased from all records of history.
It had been a full year since Pandora joined the Multiverse Same-Sex ♀ Friendship Group, only to be swiftly expelled.
She had seen the memory recordings uploaded by Eriri, but most of those depicted events that would occur more than four hundred years in the future, with only a few scenes taking place two centuries later.
As for the current era, there were no records at all—only the brief note that a few years from now, the Witch of Greed would establish the Sanctuary, only to be pursued by the Witch of Melancholy.
From those fragments, Pandora learned that in the future, all Seven Witches would perish, and the Witch of Jealousy would devour half the world before being sealed away.
Guiding the Witch of Jealousy toward the abyss of despair had always been part of Pandora's plan, though she had not yet had the opportunity to set it into motion.
Thanks to the future intel, she knew her plan would succeed—and even produce an unexpected bonus, pushing Satella into complete madness.
Because of that, Pandora felt no need to rush. She simply had to proceed according to her original design, and the future would unfold exactly as she desired.
However, not long ago, she received startling news: one of the Three Heroes who had sealed the Witch of Jealousy—the first-generation Sword Saint—had been killed. Even more astonishingly, the incident appeared to be closely connected to the Witch of Greed.
Pandora knew better than anyone how powerful the First Sword Saint had been—one of the strongest individuals in the world.
If someone claimed that Echidna could have easily slain him, Pandora would never believe it.
The death of such a figure could only mean that something had changed in the world—something beyond her knowledge.
Her first thought was of the chat group. Yet she quickly dismissed that idea.
From what she knew of the group members, most were righteous by nature. Given how she had been portrayed in the recorded memories, if any of them had come to this world, they certainly would not have spared her—the mastermind behind so much suffering.
Moreover, an entire year had passed without any significant disruption. Nothing suggested that outsiders had intervened.
Later, she received more reports: the Witch of Greed had already found the Witches of Jealousy and Wrath and was now heading toward the others.
This did not surprise Pandora. In the original timeline, the Seven Witches had indeed gathered together. Perhaps now was the moment that unity began.
The only part she could not comprehend was the matter of the Three Heroes.
There was also one more curious piece of intelligence: the Witch of Greed was accompanied by an extraordinarily beautiful girl, but no one knew her identity.
Pandora herself had no idea who the girl was, but she had a strong feeling that the changes in the world were somehow connected to her. It was even possible that the mysterious girl had been the one to kill the First Sword Saint.
Determined to uncover the truth, Pandora decided to approach the Witch of Greed directly.
At present, she had not yet crossed paths with the other witches, nor had she been cast out by them. She was, after all, still one of their kind—a legitimate witch.
If she presented herself as an ally wishing to join them, she was confident that the others would accept her without suspicion.
And even if they didn't, she was certain she could escape unscathed.
Her Authority might lack offensive power, but its defensive and survival capabilities were unmatched. She did not believe anyone in this world could truly kill her.
Thus, once the Seven Witches had all gathered, Pandora set off toward the city where they were assembled—her current destination.
...
After more than ten minutes of high-speed travel, Pandora finally reached the city where Eriri and the others resided.
Without hesitation, after locating the residence where Echidna and the other witches were staying, she immediately activated her Authority and teleported inside.
At that very moment, within a room of that residence, Echidna sat at the head of a rectangular table, while the other six witches occupied the seats along its sides.
Satella and Minerva sat upright, their faces brimming with excitement as they engaged in serious discussion with Echidna.
The Witch of Gluttony, Daphne, and the Witch of Pride, Typhon, sat sloppily in their seats, showing little interest in whatever topic Echidna and the others were debating.
Meanwhile, the Witch of Sloth, Sekhmet, was sprawled lazily across the table, clearly having no intention of joining the conversation.
As for the Witch of Lust, Carmilla, she sat properly in her chair, wearing an expression that suggested she wanted to speak but lacked the courage to do so.
Inside the room, there was no sign of Eriri, Beatrice, or Puck.
Since Eriri had little interest in discussions about the nation's location, she had taken Beatrice and Puck out for a stroll while Echidna and the others held their meeting.
In fact, Daphne—who had grown quite attached to Eriri recently—had originally wanted to go along as well, but Echidna had stopped her.
At that moment, a sudden unfamiliar voice echoed through the room, immediately halting the ongoing discussion.
"May I join you too?"
Hearing the soft yet clear voice, Echidna and the others turned toward its source—everyone except Sekhmet, who remained slumped over the table, too lazy even to lift her head.
Before their eyes, a figure materialized out of thin air, appearing barely two meters away.
It was Pandora.
Echidna recognized her instantly. As for Satella and the others, they had no idea who Pandora was, and therefore felt no particular hostility—only curiosity.
Even knowing Pandora's identity, Echidna's expression remained unchanged.
With her current level of power, killing Pandora would be child's play. Not even the Authority that allowed Pandora to alter reality could save her.
That was why Echidna had never bothered seeking Pandora or the Witch of Melancholy to eliminate them in advance—there was simply no need.
Such was the confidence born from absolute strength.
Before Echidna could speak, Typhon—completely captivated by Pandora's beauty—skipped over with a bright smile.
"Wow, you're so pretty, big sister! Are you a witch too?"
She stretched out her small hand, eager for a handshake.
Knowing full well what Typhon's Authority could do, Pandora had no intention of taking her hand. Instead, she smiled softly and said, "Yes, I am. The Witch of Vainglory—Pandora."
"Eh? Big sister, why won't you shake my hand?" Typhon asked with innocent persistence, her hand still outstretched.
Pandora's expression didn't change. She continued to smile gently but ignored the offered hand, turning her gaze toward the others instead—finally resting her eyes on Echidna.
At that moment, Daphne walked over and gave Pandora an unabashed once-over from head to toe.
"You're really pretty, but compared to Eriri-nee, you're still far behind!"
As one of Eriri's most devoted admirers, Daphne's words came from genuine conviction—and indeed, they were true.
Eriri's beauty was unmatched across the multiverse. Even though Pandora's appearance could rival that of beings like Arelis, she still fell short compared to Eriri.
Originally, Pandora had intended to address Echidna directly. However, the instant she heard Eriri's name, her mind froze.
Eriri?
The Multiverse Same-Sex ♀ Friendship Group?
A Level 8, Stage 9 transcendent being?
In that moment, Pandora's thoughts raced, and everything became clear. She now understood who the mysterious girl beside Echidna truly was—and who had slain the First Sword Saint.
She also realized what had caused the great deviation in this world's fate.
A being of Level 8, Stage 9 standing beside Echidna and the Seven Witches?
How was she supposed to contend with that?
Before such overwhelming power, all schemes and deceptions were utterly meaningless.
—
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