Chapter 197: Return? A Pipe Dream?
Occult Research Club.
Renji was looking at the blue-haired girl before him, whose forehead had a strand of hair dyed cyan.
In front of the girl, there was a glowing card bearing this image:
It was an angel with a raven's head, riding a black wolf, and holding a sharp sword—that was Andras of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, tasked with eliminating discord.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the group of girls sprawled haphazardly. It seemed they were about to wake up.
The recent situation had allowed him to elevate his usable power to another level.
At the same time, he had already pinpointed the source of all phenomena in this world—it was at the end of the dimensional rift.
Next, he would carefully construct a connection ritual, and of course, he wouldn't recklessly invoke it like before.
The reason for establishing the Seventy-Two Demon Gods this time was to help share the burden.
Which brought up a question: Why was this Xenovia also being transformed into one of his pillars?
Because she had been observing near the Occult Research Club and, upon noticing something unusual, immediately rushed in.
So, he directly extended an invitation to her, as the Demon God card also resonated with her.
It was quite simple: first, acknowledge that he was King Solomon, then say that if she wanted to know more secrets, she should become one of his Demon God pillars.
As a result, this straightforward girl agreed without hesitation.
Another reason for her quick agreement was that the death of the god she believed in had hit her hard.
Thus, she had been eager to find a replacement, and his existence was the most logical choice—transferring her faith to him.
Otherwise, she might not have been able to hold on much longer; she was already on the verge of collapse.
So, faced with his request, she agreed almost without a second thought.
Speaking of which, if Koneko was suitable, why weren't Rias's other two servants suitable?
They weren't, because only females could be transformed into the Seventy-Two Demon Gods.
This was locked in by the system, and he couldn't change it.
Back when he was given these cards, it wasn't clearly explained—it just presented him with male and female options to confirm.
Normally, when clicking to confirm something, shouldn't there be a verification prompt?
For example, when uninstalling software on a computer, after clicking uninstall, it asks if you're really sure, requiring several confirmations to proceed.
But the system didn't do that. If he accidentally clicked confirm, it was immediately finalized.
"Sigh, I feel like I missed out on something~"
The sigh came from another person—a red-haired girl with twin tails, the ancestor of the Gremory family, Rias's ancestor.
She had sensed something and immediately tried to perceive it, but she was a step too late.
This meant she couldn't see a part of her own memories.
As for Renji, he had seen her memories clearly.
Regarding the entrusted task of finding suitable candidates, she had identified a few for him, but she couldn't bring them over immediately.
After all, the fact that she, a first-generation devil, was still alive had been leaked, which somewhat disrupted the balance.
Originally, the Gremory family had produced a Satan, elevating them to one of the most elite families among devils. Now, with the first-generation devils still alive, people had begun to grow wary of the Gremory family.
Thus, her every move could inadvertently provoke the sensibilities of some old-era devils, potentially leading them to engage in undesirable actions.
"What are you doing?"
Runeas raised the corners of her eyes, slightly displeased as she dodged the hand trying to pat her head.
"Aren't you feeling like you missed something? Are you sure you don't want to understand what it is?"
Renji intended to make her realize what she had supposedly missed.
Starting from Xenovia, the transformed Demon God Pillars would merge memories with one another.
Of course, the only memories visible were his own as King Solomon.
"Then don't pat my head."
"If you don't want it, forget it."
"Forget it then—"
"Th-this is... memories?"
Runeas's words were interrupted by a chaotic voice—the newly transformed Holy Sword Wielder from the church, now one of his Demon God Pillars.
She seemed utterly confused, muttering something about memories?
Ah, right—the special fusion resonance just now seemed to involve an exchange of memories between both parties.
Runeas could confirm that her memories had flowed into his mind, but due to her being in a unique environment and relatively distant at the time, his memories hadn't transferred over to her.
In other words, had this Holy Sword Wielder girl, newly transformed into a Demon God Pillar, received his memories?
Was that why she was in chaos?
Shouldn't it be shock instead?
"The final battle between humans and gods? Huh? No, wait—why were you there, King Solomon-sama? Representing in battle? No, why can I see this memory?"
Then came another incoherent outburst, the information she revealed leaving Runeas stunned.
Suddenly, the Holy Sword Wielder girl took a deep breath and cast a complicated gaze toward him.
"So you're not this world's King Solomon-sama... No, rather, this world's King Solomon-sama is a part of you?"
"Wh-what? What are you saying? Wha—!"
Runeas's voice cut off abruptly as her head was unexpectedly patted, her pupils dilating and contracting rapidly.
She now understood the reason for Xenovia's confusion and the truth behind her incoherent ramblings.
Because he had shown her the memories of King Solomon from a parallel world, as well as his own memories of traveling back three thousand years in this World 517 to meet Solomon.
"So this is why you don't trust Archangel Michael, King Solomon-sama?"
Xenovia also spoke with a bitter smile.
Who would have thought that the god on the other side was fundamentally an evil deity?
Just then, Rias and the others, who had been asleep, began to stir.
"Nya? What's going on?"
Kuroka was the first to wake up, looking around in a daze.
"Are we back, meow?"
There was no joy upon returning, only frustration.
They were just about to begin the most critical battle when they suddenly crossed back.
"Huh? We're back? Ancestor-sama~"
Rias was the second to wake up, noticing the shocked expression on her ancestor's face.
Speaking of which, when they crossed to another world, the ancestor wasn't by her side, which made her deeply uneasy. She feared he might have been transported elsewhere and could be in danger.
"Ancestor, are you alright? Where were you transported to after crossing over?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Where did I cross over to?"
The ancestor looked very confused by her words.
Then, after Rias's explanation and the chatter from the others, Xenovia and Runeas both widened their eyes.
Renji also slightly raised his eyebrows.
Weren't they just purely seeing his memories as King Solomon?
Crossing over?