— — — — — —
"Tatsumaki?"
Hearing who the World Will wanted him to grant the Gene Lock potential to, Veyron fell silent, deep in thought.
Wait… why did I come to this world again?
Ah, right. Two reasons.
First: to make sure nothing went horribly wrong during Fubuki's rebellion against her sister. Just in case things got out of hand and someone ended up hurt—or worse.
Second: to give Tatsumaki the same kind of Gene Lock potential as Fubuki.
So basically… the World Will's "deal" was just giving him what he came here to do anyway?
「Deal?」
"Deal."
[You've acquired a new Trait — Potential: Limiter (Gold)]
[Your Trait Potential: Limiter (Gold) has evolved]
[Potential: Limiter (Gold) → Limiter Removed (Gold)]
Veyron blinked at the message on his system interface.
They just gave it to me… like that?
Then again, thinking about it... this was basically just a "Skip 3 Years" card. He could've unlocked his limiter on his own after three years of prep anyway.
From the World Will's perspective, giving it to him now or later didn't really make a difference.
As power began to surge through his body, Veyron pulled up the details on the new trait:
[Limiter Removed (Gold): Allows for infinite growth. Unlocks unlimited potential.]
Infinite growth. Unlimited potential.
He glanced over his skill traits:
Swordsmanship (Lv.47)
Energy Release (Lv.32)
Martial Arts (Lv.36)
Telekinesis (Lv.38)
Divine Ki (Lv.50)
Every one of them was passively leveling up on its own—point by point—without him doing a thing.
And that was just his idle state.
If he did any kind of training—even just circulating his Ki—then his Divine Ki skill alone would gain thousands of EXP. And the related stats like Energy Release and Martial Arts? They'd tag along with a few hundred EXP boosts too.
Yeah. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact he was OP anymore.
Feeling great, Veyron casually scooped up a big piece of beef tripe from the hot pot in front of him.
As for the battle between Fubuki and Tatsumaki… it finally wrapped up with the only reasonable result: a "draw."
They were sisters, after all.
One had a borderline obsessive need to protect the other.
The other resented her sister—not because she hated her, but because growing up, Tatsumaki had always been too perfect. That overwhelming pressure never let up.
Even now, as an adult, Tatsumaki still acted like she knew best for her. She'd even mocked the "Blizzard Group" that Fubuki built to stand on her own, calling it "a childish little playgroup."
…Which, to be fair, was a little childish at the start.
But really, their whole conflict came down to one thing: both were espers—but the gap in their power had always been so wide, it was impossible to stand as equals.
Now that Fubuki could finally stand tall and face her sister without flinching, that so-called "sibling rivalry" was already starting to dissolve.
I mean, what did people expect? For them to fight to the death?
...
"Thanks… for helping Fubuki."
Tatsumaki floated down in front of Veyron, pausing for just a second before giving him a rare, honest thank-you.
"??!"
Fubuki, who had landed with her, gave her sister a stunned look.
"Did… did that really come out of her mouth? The same woman who acts like she's a literal goddess walking among mortals?"
She didn't say anything else—but her eyes quietly dropped.
It was because of her, wasn't it?
Because she'd gotten strong enough to be seen as an equal.
"No need to thank me," Veyron said with a smile. "Sure, I gave her the potential—but it was her own talent that got her this far."
He snapped his fingers, summoning two sets of bowls, chopsticks, and dipping sauces out of thin air, floating them gently in front of the sisters with telekinesis.
"How about you two join me for a bite?"
Fubuki immediately accepted the utensils and settled in. Tatsumaki, on the other hand, hesitated for a second. She'd never eaten hot pot like this before—let alone shared it with someone else, especially a man. It felt... oddly intimate.
Still, after a brief pause, she didn't refuse.
Between the three of them, the hot pot and the side ingredients Veyron had prepared vanished quickly under the devastating appetite of the powerful espers.
Once they'd eaten their fill, Veyron cleared the dishes away. Any food waste was instantly consumed by a burst of white-black fire—Destined Death Flame, which incinerated everything cleanly.
After tidying up, he pulled out a syringe in a spiral glass vial and three glowing bottles. "How about a quick shot?"
"…?"
What the hell?
Tatsumaki frowned slightly, clearly skeptical—until she caught the look on Fubuki's face. Her little sister was practically glowing with excitement. That alone triggered a wild guess in her mind.
"…Is this the secret behind how Fubuki got so strong?"
Veyron smiled. "Not all of it. She had a few other things going for her too. But yeah—this definitely played a big role."
He gave her a quick explanation of the Gene Lock system.
"'Microscopic Control'? Total control over the body, brain, and even Genes? That makes sense now…"
Tatsumaki glanced at Fubuki, remembering how she'd performed in their earlier fight. Everything clicked into place. She nodded, then shot Veyron a suspicious look. "And you're seriously just giving this to me?"
"Emotionally speaking," Veyron said, grinning, "Fubuki's my friend. And you're her sister. So, sure—why not?"
He paused, then added more seriously, "Logically speaking, I actually came here specifically to see what someone Fubuki described as 'basically invincible' could do with a Gene Lock unlocked. Besides, the cost's already been paid—by someone else."
By "someone else," Veyron meant the World Will.
But Tatsumaki misunderstood. She thought he was talking about Fubuki.
"..."
"Just so you know," Tatsumaki said, narrowing her eyes at Fubuki, "if I do accept this, and these three vials boost me to the same early Stage 4 Gene Lock as you… then things are gonna go right back to how they used to be between us."
Her tone was meaningful. She'd figured out why Fubuki had rebelled all those years ago—why she pushed herself to grow stronger and challenge her sister. And now, for the first time, she was acknowledging it out loud.
Fubuki blinked. "No different from before, huh?"
"If it weren't for me, would you even have the Gene Lock now?"
Tatsumaki: "…"
Damn it. She couldn't argue with that.
Grumbling a little under her breath, the mighty Tatsumaki—the one who always had the last word—silently extended her arm toward Veyron. He injected the T-Virus, then handed her the three vials.
One by one, she drank them all and instantly surged to the early fourth stage of the Gene Lock.
Just like she said.
Now that she had the Gene Lock too, the gap between them was back to being a massive abyss.
Only this time, Fubuki didn't feel frustrated or left behind. As she watched Tatsumaki's power surge—she could feel it: her sister had grown strong enough to crush her effortlessly.
And still, Fubuki just smiled faintly.
Veyron gave her a quick scan and confirmed there were no issues with Tatsumaki's sudden jump to Stage 4. "Alright. No problems for now. But if something comes up—like mental backlash or anything—just let Fubuki know, and she'll call me."
He turned to leave.
But before he left, he leaned close and whispered something in Tatsumaki's ear—something low, private, and meant for her alone.
It was a suggestion… about her outfit.
Yup—exactly what your dirty mind was thinking.
His voice echoed like the whisper of an abyss only she could hear—
Tatsumaki's pupils trembled.
.
.
.