"Alright, that's enough chatter. Once I'm done with you, I still have to go look for the other Reincarnators~"
Meido smiled faintly, losing all interest in continuing to talk with the beautiful woman before her, whose expression had turned grim. From the void, she drew her weapon—an elegant longsword. Countless sharp sword lights burst forth from the blade, scattering like celestial blossoms across the entire star domain.
Faced with such swift and fierce attacks, the beautiful woman had no time to think about anything else. She gripped her greatsword tightly, blocking the countless beams of sword light shooting toward her from all directions.
Just like when Nana fought that Level 7, Stage 3 Reincarnator before, there was also a difference in power between Meido and this beautiful woman—but the gap between them was infinitely greater.
The difference between Level 8, Stage 1 and Level 8, Stage 6 could only be described as a chasm. They simply weren't beings on the same level.
So after blocking for a short while, the beautiful woman immediately understood the extent of Meido's power. The tension on her face eased slightly.
"With only this level of strength, you think you can deal with me? Aren't you being a bit too optimistic?"
Swinging her greatsword, she effortlessly cleared away the sword lights around her, then looked calmly at Meido, who stood a few hundred meters away, making no move to counterattack.
"Oh my, it does seem that way indeed."
Meido also realized the gap in power between them, so she stopped her assault for the time being.
Even if she attacked with her full strength, she probably couldn't inflict any real damage upon this woman. Unless she took the time to slowly wear her opponent down—draining her strength until she was exhausted—it would be impossible to destroy her.
However, Meido was not a member of the chat group. She could not restore her energy at will through the group system, so such a plan was infeasible.
Even if she could recover her strength, she didn't have much time to waste here.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but feel troubled.
Noticing the small shift in Meido's expression, and recalling her earlier mention of a "master," the beautiful woman's eyes lit up—an idea forming in her mind.
"How about we make a deal? You can't harm me anyway, and I have no desire to provoke your master. So how about we each take a step back—you don't attack me, and you let me leave this universe, agreed?"
She wasn't sure if Meido's master was watching, so she tried to maintain a friendly attitude.
Her only goal now was to escape this universe as quickly as possible. As for the other Reincarnators who had invaded with her, she no longer cared.
Compared to her own life, everything else was meaningless.
Still, she used the Main God Space's communication system to report what was happening here to the other Level 8 Reincarnators. Whether they believed her or not was no longer her concern.
Even for her, tearing open a dimensional passage to another universe on her own was no easy feat—especially with Meido standing there, watching her closely. There was no chance to act.
"That won't do. The moment you all invaded this universe, your fate was already sealed. Besides... do you really think you could harm me?"
Meido looked at her with a teasing gaze, her calm demeanor unshaken.
The beautiful woman's expression darkened at Meido's words, anxiety rising within her once more.
Now she had only two options: either kill Meido quickly and then rip open a world passage to escape—or flee from this galaxy entirely and find a quiet place to open a passage unnoticed.
She abandoned the first plan after only a few seconds of thought. Seeing Meido's composed, almost mocking expression, she didn't want to take the risk.
So without hesitation, she chose the second option.
As a wave of spatial fluctuation rippled through the void, the beautiful woman's figure vanished instantly, leaving Meido standing alone in the endless darkness of space.
"So cautious, aren't you? You won't even test me out first. But escaping this universe? That's impossible~"
Meido lightly shook her head, then turned to look toward a certain direction in the universe. She could clearly sense the beautiful woman's presence there.
If she wished, she could appear beside her in the next instant—but she chose not to.
Rather than wasting time on an opponent she knew she couldn't defeat, it was better to go after other targets.
After all, with Eriri watching over everything, Meido knew there was no chance that woman could escape.
...
As the beautiful woman fled from Meido's galaxy, the other forty-one Level 8 Reincarnators who had received her message fell into disarray.
What they feared most was the appearance of a peak Level 8 powerhouse within the invaded universe. That would mean their entire plan would collapse—and worse, their lives would be in danger.
Still, without solid confirmation, none of them dared to flee yet. They were reluctant to abandon their mission and lose the vast amount of Reincarnation Points that were almost within reach—all because of one woman's words.
So their immediate goal was to confirm whether her message was true or not. That decision would determine their next move.
And where to verify it? Naturally, they thought of the one who had sent the message in the first place. Thus, all forty-one Level 8 Reincarnators halted their ongoing destruction and began contacting the beautiful woman through the communication system, converging toward her position—the only high-tier Reincarnator among them.
However, by the time they tried to reach her, the beautiful woman had already found a quiet region of space. Confirming that Meido hadn't followed, she immediately began tearing open a rift leading to another universe. She had no patience to reply to their questions.
After over ten minutes of effort, with her energy nearly depleted, she finally managed to rip open a spatial rift more than two meters tall before her.
Beyond the rift was chaos and distortion—she couldn't see what lay on the other side.
She didn't doubt whether it truly led to another universe. Without hesitation, she rushed through the rift at full speed.
But when she emerged on the other side, what greeted her was still the same—endless darkness, the empty void of space.
Before she could even sigh in relief, a familiar figure appeared before her eyes.
A black-and-white maid uniform, a tall and graceful figure, long black hair cascading to her waist, and a face of peerless beauty—it was none other than Meido, whom she hadn't seen for over ten minutes.
Meido, having just finished off another group of Reincarnators, looked somewhat surprised to see the woman suddenly appear before her. But she quickly understood—it had to be Eriri's doing.
The surprise on her face faded instantly, replaced by a teasing smile.
"My, what a coincidence, Miss Reincarnator. I didn't expect us to meet again so soon~"
"Wha... what is this? Why didn't I leave this universe? Why am I in front of you again?!"
The beautiful woman stared in disbelief, her enchanting face now twisted in despair.
"Hehe, I told you before— the moment you invaded this universe, your fate was already sealed~"
"..."
The woman fell silent at those words. The effort of tearing open a world passage had drained her energy to the point of exhaustion. She could no longer muster the full power of a Level 8 being.
If she fought Meido again now, she doubted she could withstand even a single exchange unscathed.
Without hesitation, she shared her coordinates with the other Level 8 Reincarnators.
She still didn't understand why the world passage she created had failed, but having the others gather around her at least eased her fear somewhat.
Sure enough, upon receiving her coordinates, the other Level 8 Reincarnators—who had already begun converging—activated their spatial abilities, or were transported by their companions, appearing one after another beside the beautiful woman.
Before long, Meido stood alone on one side, facing forty-two Level 8 Reincarnators assembled before her in the void of space.
Even when faced with forty-two opponents, each as strong as or stronger than herself, Meido showed not a trace of fear. Instead, she seemed genuinely amused.
"Oh my, you've gathered quite a few helpers. According to my master, there were exactly forty-two Level 8 Reincarnators among the invaders. That must be you lot, right? So, are you all planning to die together?"
Hearing Meido accurately state their numbers, the expressions of all the Level 8 Reincarnators grew grim. Now they were certain—the message from the beautiful woman had been true.
One Reincarnator, whose aura reached Level 8, Stage 7, and whose expression was cold and emotionless, immediately took action. He unleashed his full power in an unrestrained attack, pouring vast energy upon Meido. In an instant, the torrent of destructive force engulfed her completely.
Seeing this, the Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator withdrew his gaze, not even bothering to check the results.
In his mind, Meido—far weaker than him—could not possibly survive that attack. The forty others with him shared the same thought, all assuming she was dead.
Only the beautiful woman thought differently.
She kept her eyes fixed on the spot where Meido had stood. Deep down, she felt certain—Meido wouldn't die that easily.
"Everyone, since it's been confirmed that this universe truly contains a peak Level 8, Stage 9 powerhouse, our conquest ends here."
The Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator spoke unwillingly, but for the sake of survival, he had no choice.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Naturally. We should leave this universe as soon as possible. If that being arrives, none of us will escape."
"What about the lower-level Reincarnators? Are we just leaving them behind to die?"
"They're just expendable pawns. The Main God Space has plenty more. We'll simply gather another batch later."
"Agreed."
"..."
The group began discussing amongst themselves. Except for a few, most of the Level 8 Reincarnators viewed the others with complete indifference—mere tools, nothing more.
"Then there's no time to waste. Let's open a spatial passage to the assembly space together."
"No problem. Let's begin."
Under the lead of the Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator, all forty-two Reincarnators began channeling their internal energy, preparing to tear open a rift to escape the universe—just as they had done when they first invaded.
Even the beautiful woman stopped watching Meido's position and joined in the effort earnestly.
But before they could even begin, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out.
"So that's a Level 8, Stage 7 attack, huh? Impressive indeed... but breaking through my defense? You're still far from it~"
The moment that familiar voice echoed through the void, all forty-two Reincarnators froze. Their heads turned simultaneously toward Meido's direction, eyes widening in disbelief.
Especially the Level 8, Stage 7 Reincarnator—his usually cold expression finally cracked with visible shock.
As for the beautiful woman, she could only sigh inwardly. I knew it...
Before their eyes, the massive sphere of energy that had engulfed Meido suddenly vanished, revealing her unharmed figure standing calmly within the starlit void.
Meido stretched lazily, then flickered forward, appearing less than ten meters away from the group. With a bright, cheerful smile, she looked at them all.
"Are you planning to run away? I'd advise against that—it's impossible for you to succeed. Don't believe me? You can ask this lady here~"
Meido smiled teasingly at the beautiful woman.
Following her gaze, the other Reincarnators all turned to the woman in question.
"Indeed," she admitted calmly. "I tried escaping earlier. Though I tore open a world passage to another universe, I failed to leave this one."
She didn't hide her experience, but then her tone shifted sharply:
"But that doesn't mean we should give up. Last time, I acted alone. This time, with forty-two of us working together, we'll definitely break through this universe's blockade."
"She's right! You think we'll just give up resistance? Impossible!"
Her words reignited the others' fighting spirit. Whatever doubts Meido's presence had planted were now completely swept away.
Ignoring Meido—since none of them could harm her anyway—the Reincarnators began channeling their power once more, focusing everything on opening a world passage as fast as possible.
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