Gid's words made the Level 7, Stage 3 Reincarnator's expression darken instantly. Though he delighted in tormenting beings weaker than himself, he wasn't a fool—after all, he had survived countless life-and-death trials within the Main God Space.
From Gid's tone, he could tell that the so-called "great one" the man mentioned was definitely not weaker than himself—and could very well be a hidden trump card of this universe.
Not wishing to risk being caught off guard, he decided to stop playing around and end everything as quickly as possible before retreating far from this star system.
"Oh? Then it seems I can't let you live any longer. I've had my fun—time to finish this."
The Level 7, Stage 3 Reincarnator grinned savagely, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. Then, without restraint, he swung his longsword with full force.
A slash far stronger than any of his previous attacks erupted from his weapon. The colossal blade of energy, several kilometers tall, tore through the void and appeared above Gid's head in the blink of an eye.
Though it didn't seem massive in size, the violent power it contained shattered the surrounding space itself.
If this strike were to land on the planet, it would instantly turn it into cosmic dust—and that was precisely what the Reincarnator intended: to annihilate both Gid and the planet beneath his feet.
Seeing their captain unleash such a terrifying attack, the surrounding Reincarnators immediately stopped their massacres and retreated from the planet at top speed, afraid of being caught in the blast.
Naturally, Gid would never let such a powerful strike fall freely. Unfortunately, he was already at his limit. Even when he gathered every last ounce of energy within his body, his counterattack wasn't nearly enough to resist the Reincarnator's might.
The two attacks collided—and Gid's desperate strike was obliterated instantly. The energy blade didn't slow in the slightest as it surged toward him.
Seeing the incoming blow, Gid, now reverted to his child form from energy exhaustion, closed his eyes in despair. Images of his wife and three beloved daughters flashed rapidly through his mind like a lantern reel.
But in the very next second, three pink silhouettes appeared before him. Along with them came three familiar voices shouting in unison.
Gid's eyes flew open—and the moment he did, he saw the three figures standing protectively before him.
"Lala! Nana! Momo!"
...
A few minutes earlier—after Jibril, Tatsumaki, and Luo Cuilian had finished wiping out the Reincarnator squad attacking Earth, the other group members began teleporting, with their companions, to the locations of various Reincarnator forces.
However, the three Deviluke sisters—Lala, Nana, and Momo—did not immediately join the hunt. Instead, they decided to return to Deviluke to ensure their parents' safety.
With their current abilities, they didn't need spacecraft to traverse the universe. As long as they pinpointed the correct coordinates, a single thought was enough to take them anywhere.
This was one of the temporary powers Eriri had granted everyone before the battle—allowing instantaneous teleportation either near any Reincarnator or anywhere within the entire universe.
Without it, even with their average Level 7 strength, traveling across galaxies—or to the far ends of the cosmos—would have been nearly impossible.
With a ripple of spatial energy, the three sisters materialized inside the royal palace of Deviluke.
At that moment, Deviluke had yet to be invaded by the Reincarnators—a fact that allowed the sisters to breathe a sigh of relief.
Then Nana's anxious voice broke the silence.
"Onee-chan! I can sense Mother's presence, but Father's nowhere on Deviluke!"
At her words, Lala and Momo immediately spread their senses across the planet—and just as Nana had said, their father's energy signature was nowhere to be found.
"What should we do, Onee-chan? Should we go look for Father?"
Momo looked at Lala with worried eyes, seeking her decision.
"Hmm... let's do this—Nana, Momo, you two stay here on Deviluke and prepare in case the Reincarnators attack. I'll go into space and find Father myself."
After thinking for a moment, Lala made her decision.
Originally, Lala had planned for the three sisters to remain on Deviluke together and defend their home from the Reincarnators. After all, their numbers were overwhelming—just a single Level 7 Reincarnator could easily destroy the entire planet.
That was why, when Elaina had proposed the battle contest in the chat group earlier, the three sisters hadn't even considered joining.
But now, with the universe facing such danger, Lala couldn't possibly allow her father to stay missing in space.
"Um… Onee-chan, maybe I should go with you to find Father? Momo can stay here and guard home—if we hurry, we can return quickly."
"No need. I can handle it myself. Nana, you and Momo stay here to protect Mother."
Lala rejected Nana's suggestion without a moment's hesitation. While two people searching would indeed be faster, their mother's safety was equally important—Lala wouldn't risk anything happening to her.
"...Alright."
"I have no objections."
Having her suggestion declined, Nana reluctantly agreed, and Momo calmly accepted Lala's decision as well.
"Okay, it's settled then. You two go stay by Mother's side."
Lala grinned cheerfully at her sisters. Just as she was about to leave Deviluke, however, a familiar figure suddenly appeared beside them.
"Eh? Eriri, what are you doing here?"
Lala stopped in her tracks and quickly stepped forward to greet her.
"Lala, take Nana and Momo with you. With me here, Deviluke will be completely safe."
"Oh, and by the way—your father's situation isn't looking very good right now."
"Mm-hmm! Thank you, Eriri!"
Smiling brightly, Lala threw her arms around Eriri, rubbing her cheek affectionately against Eriri's smooth face.
Upon hearing news about their father, Nana and Momo both breathed sighs of relief.
"Alright, you three should go find your father quickly. If you're any later, you might not make it in time. I've already sent you his exact location."
Eriri patted Lala's waist gently, smiling as she spoke.
At her words, Lala released Eriri—and then, to the surprise of her sisters, lowered her head and lightly pressed her lips against Eriri's pink ones.
"Hehe~ Eriri, we'll be going now!"
The kiss lasted only a brief moment before Lala pulled back, smiling mischievously. She skipped back to her sisters' side, and in the next instant, the three of them vanished from the royal palace.
Watching them disappear, Eriri couldn't help but smile softly.
"Didn't expect that girl to learn how to sneak in a kiss."
It was the first time Lala had ever done something like that. Even Eriri, who thought she had seen everything, couldn't help feeling a little surprised. In her view, it was quite a memorable gesture.
Amused, Eriri captured the scene of Lala's sudden kiss and immediately uploaded it to the chat group.
Of course, since all the group members were busy fighting Reincarnators, even though they heard the notification sound, none had time to check the new image.
After Lala and her sisters departed, Eriri didn't linger. Instead, she teleported directly to Sephie's location.
At that moment, Sephie was inside her palace, handling governmental affairs. She had just received urgent distress calls from countless planets and races across the Milky Way, along with reports that numerous worlds were being destroyed one after another.
The flood of catastrophic news had left her overwhelmed. As she pondered what was happening and how to organize a rescue effort, Eriri suddenly appeared before her, interrupting her thoughts.
"Eriri? What a surprise—you actually came here in person?"
Delighted, Sephie turned away from the holographic screens and walked toward her.
"It's been a while, Aunt Sephie. I hope I'm not interrupting your work?" Eriri greeted her with a gentle smile.
"Oh, come now, what's all this about disturbing me? Don't be so polite with your aunt! I'd be more than happy if you came to 'bother' me more often~"
Sephie affectionately took Eriri's hand, completely setting aside her worries about the situation in the Milky Way.
Unlike Gid, Eriri and Sephie shared a warm and friendly relationship, having met many times before. Sephie had even visited the Saekano world on several occasions.
As for Gid, he had only met Eriri a handful of times. To him, she was a mysterious, exalted being—far beyond reach—even though his three daughters were close to her.
That was why Gid referred to Eriri as "that great one," while Sephie could speak with her on such familiar terms.
"By the way, Eriri, did Lala and the others come back with you?"
"Mm-hmm, they did, but they just left Deviluke again."
"Hmph! Those three little girls come home and don't even visit their poor mother? How heartbreaking!"
Sephie playfully lowered her head and made a show of fake crying, looking adorably childish.
"Oh, Aunt Sephie~ Lala and the others left for your happiness, you know. If they heard you say that, they'd be really sad~" Eriri teased with a grin.
"Oh? For my happiness? What's that supposed to mean?"
Sephie lifted her head, curiosity replacing her playful expression.
"Your husband's in quite a bit of danger right now. If Lala and her sisters hadn't gone to save him, you'd soon be a widow. I'd say they're doing it for your own good~"
Eriri spoke casually, as though making a lighthearted joke. But Sephie froze in place.
"Wait… what? Gid's in danger?"
"Very much so. If Lala and the others had arrived a second later, you might already have been separated forever."
Sephie exhaled in relief, then quickly recalled the crisis she'd been ignoring. Her expression turned serious, the earlier cheer fading from her face.
"This… does it have something to do with the chaos happening across the galaxy?"
"That's right—but it's not just the galaxy. The entire universe is in danger. That's why we came here."
Over the next several minutes, Eriri explained the invasion of the Reincarnators and the countermeasures being taken.
When Sephie heard that more than a million Reincarnators had invaded—and that among them were forty-two beings above Level 8—her heart nearly stopped.
She couldn't help feeling grateful that Eriri was there. Without her, their entire galaxy would have been defenseless. The whole universe might have been destroyed.
Even her husband—the once-mighty Emperor of the Universe—had been defeated by a mere Reincarnator squad leader.
"Aunt Sephie, you don't need to worry about anything. With me here, Deviluke will be completely safe. Now, why don't we take a look at how the battle's going~"
As Eriri spoke, she raised her hand toward the air before them. Instantly, hundreds of holographic screens appeared, each displaying a different battlefield.
Watching the familiar figures fighting on the screens, Sephie realized that Eriri's extermination operation had already begun.
...
Meanwhile, on the planet where Lala and her sisters had arrived—
Having successfully blocked the full-power strike of the Level 7, Stage 3 Reincarnator, the three sisters turned to face their father, completely unconcerned about leaving their backs exposed.
After all, with Eriri's invincible protection, there was nothing for them to fear.
"Wow, Daddy, you turned into a kid again!"
"Father! Are you alright?"
"Father-dono, are you injured?"
Seeing his daughters rush to his aid, Gid felt a surge of emotion, his heart swelling with relief and pride.
Still, the proud King of Deviluke would never show weakness in front of his beloved daughters.
"Hmph, it's just a flesh wound. Nothing to worry about."
"That doesn't look like nothing, you know~" Lala said teasingly, her voice full of mischief.
"Seriously, Father! You're in no shape to act tough. Stop pretending you're fine when you're clearly not!"
Nana rolled her eyes, her blunt words making Gid visibly uncomfortable.
—
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