Two bodies.
She could clearly feel herself still sitting in the Demon Lord's castle, yet she could also control the other one and sense the new world's atmosphere all around her.
"Just treat it as parallel consciousness," Damien said, his tone noticeably gentler than usual. It left Hinata a little flustered.
But it made sense. Damien only ever showed his harsh side to enemies. Toward his own people he had always been easygoing.
Hinata had already joined his side and become one of his subordinates. After that full naked dogeza incident, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was already his.
"Can you adapt?"
"No problem."
Hinata had only been surprised at the very start. With her combat experience and precise control over her body, managing two forms at once—even fighting with both—wasn't a big deal, especially while her main body simply sat there with its eyes closed.
"Um, Lord Damien… are we on Earth?"
Hinata had noticed the billboards around them, covered in English lettering. "Where exactly is this?"
"New York."
The landing point had been random; Damien hadn't picked it on purpose. "Heard of it?"
"Yes, I know this place."
Hinata nodded. "So we're in America?"
"That's right."
Damien reached into his pocket and pulled out two smartphones, handing one to her. "Here, this is for you."
"This is…"
Hinata had crossed over around 2007, so she knew about touchscreen phones but had never actually used one. She, like most people from that time, still preferred button or flip phones.
"Everything's inside—IDs, bank accounts, all the modern necessities. Violet prepared them for us."
Since they were descending in human form, Violet obviously hadn't turned them into undocumented immigrants. All the paperwork and accounts they'd need for everyday life were already set up.
"Wow… that's incredible."
Hinata opened the packet Damien gave her. Inside were seals, a driver's license, a passport, and every other document needed to prove her identity. Japan didn't issue national ID cards, but there were plenty of other official papers.
Damien glanced at hers. Her age was listed as twenty-five—exactly matching her real age. Her occupation: a photographer who traveled the world capturing beautiful scenery.
"Did Miss Violet prepare this too?"
"Yeah."
Damien took out his own ID. In this world he was registered as an American. "Mine's a bit pathetic—just an unemployed drifter."
"Eh?"
Hinata looked surprised, wondering whether Violet had done it on purpose or by accident.
"Doesn't matter either way."
Damien shrugged it off. He bought them both cups of bubble tea, and they chatted while sipping. "The preparations were a little rushed, so I didn't go over the full plan with you beforehand."
"Please tell me!"
"Relax, no need to be so tense," Damien said with a smile, then added an apology. "Sorry about how things were before—we were enemies back then. From now on, let's get along properly."
Still, looking into Hinata's firm, stubborn eyes, he suspected it wouldn't be easy to get close to her.
"Whatever you prefer…"
"But while we're here, drop the formal titles. Just call me Damien."
"Understood… Damien."
"…"
Damien could only sigh inwardly. Japanese girls really could be so proper. "Ahem. Anyway, here's the plan."
"Out of everyone crossing this time, only you and I chose human forms."
"Mhm."
"Lady Luminas and the other Demon Lords are probably planning to descend as Heretic Gods, right?"
"Exactly."
Damien had already had Violet share the basic information with the two women.
"But it's different for them. Passing through the Realm of Immortality won't be easy. Under normal circumstances it would take them several months to break through."
"So we need to give them a hand."
"How?"
"By performing a Heretic God summoning ritual!"
Damien led Hinata to a quiet spot and sat down. "I just checked the time—it's February right now. According to Violet's observations, the protagonist of this world will complete his god-slaying feat in March and become the seventh Campione on the planet."
Damien didn't mention that he already knew this from old novels and anime; he simply credited everything to Violet. Miss Violet truly was all-powerful.
"The protagonist of the world?"
Hinata didn't fully grasp the idea. She couldn't picture an entire world actually having a protagonist. This wasn't a game or a movie.
But since Damien was the one saying it, she had no choice but to believe him.
"You might find it confusing," he continued. "In short, think of him as this world's Child of Destiny. Without outside interference from people like us, he'll keep growing stronger under the world's favor and reap every possible benefit."
"So who is this Child of Destiny?"
"His name is Godou Kusanagi."
"A Japanese person?"
Hinata hadn't expected the one favored by fate in this world to be Japanese.
"That's right. So, Hinata, I want you to head back to Japan and find a way to carry out the god-descension ritual there."
"But…"
Hinata hesitated. "I don't know how to do that."
"Don't worry." Damien smiled and nodded. "Did you really think we descended here purely as ordinary humans?"
The moment he finished speaking, Violet's voice rang clearly inside both their minds.
[New world power system detected.]
[Integrating…]
[Integration complete. New energy type—magical power—detected.]
[Analysis beginning…]
[Analysis successful. Generating compatible role list.]
[…]
A vast torrent of information and an immense flood of knowledge poured into Hinata's mind like a tidal wave.
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