"Huh?"
As the blinding light faded, Hai Xiaomei slowly opened her eyes, a puzzled expression on her face.
"What just happened?"
"That light ball flew straight at you," Kiana said, casually spinning the baseball bat in her hand. "But Nanashi sliced it apart."
"So… Nanashi saved me?" Hai Xiaomei's eyes lit up with realization.
"It was nothing," Nanashi said calmly. "I was already planning to deal with it, but I didn't expect it to lunge at you first."
Truthfully, Nanashi felt a bit dissatisfied. The so-called Doomsday Journey had lasted barely a few minutes.
That was fast.
"Thank you!" Hai Xiaomei bowed deeply, her gratitude sincere.
"Me too," Suoh stepped forward. "If it weren't for you… we might not have been able to defeat the Colorless King."
It was no exaggeration.
The Gold King—once thought to be the strongest—had been overwhelming. Even after Suoh's upgrade, he had only been able to fight him evenly.
Nanashi simply smiled.
"Well, that's the reason we teamed up in the first place, isn't it?"
Then something shifted.
"My body…" Hai Xiaomei murmured.
"Eh? What's happening?" Kiana frowned, looking around.
Nanashi turned to them both.
Cold air radiated from Hai Xiaomei's body, causing frost to form on the walls and floor around her. Meanwhile, Kiana had begun to float off the ground, surrounded by visible spatial distortions.
Nanashi looked up toward the sky.
"That is…"
At that exact moment, Munakata Reisi, Hisui Nagare, and members of the various clans turned toward the direction of the Onbashira Tower.
There—shimmering in the sky—were Swords of Damocles.
The golden sword: a new Gold King had awakened.
But beyond that—barely perceptible to ordinary eyes—was another sword, pale and translucent.
The sword of the Colorless King.
Logic would suggest that either Kiana or Hai Xiaomei had inherited these new powers. And they had—but not in the way anyone expected.
The seventh King—the Colorless King—is now Kiana.
The second King—the King of Gold—is reborn.
Nanashi's expression grew unreadable.
He glanced at the Dresden Slate.
The Dresden Slate is a mysterious stone that is the source of the Auras and various Swords of Damocles used by the Kings. The power of the Slate could manifest not only in humans but in animals as well.
(It's human form)
Was this a reward… or a bribe?
It didn't take long for him to realize what had changed within him.
As the new Colorless King, his authority didn't lie in interference or disruption—but something deeper.
Sequence.
More precisely—Time.
He pulled up his system menu and checked the new ability granted to him.
S-Rank Ability: Lord of Time (Lv5).
He turned to Suoh.
"What's the rank of your Kingship ability?"
The Red King blinked, just recovering from the shock of witnessing two new Kings emerge.
"A-rank. Red King," he said simply.
"…"
Nanashi's eyes narrowed.
He'd been granted an S-rank ability that allowed him to Lv5 directly. What was the Slate thinking?
Trying to bribe him?
Maybe.
He had briefly considered devouring the Slate… but that idea had only lasted a second.
Now that he'd gained something more useful, there was no need.
As for Kiana and Hai Xiaomei, both had stabilized.
"So… what's going on with you two?" Nanashi asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hai Xiaomei examined her frost-covered hands in disbelief.
"I think… I've become some kind of Outsider. I gained an A-rank ability—Ice Control."
"…"
Nanashi's brow twitched.
An Outsider… with power on par with a King?
Kiana, on the other hand, stood triumphantly with her hands on her hips.
"Hahaha! I'm now the King of Gold!" she declared. "Void Director Kiana, wielding the S-rank ability of the Void King!"
A crack in space formed with a flick of her wrist.
She looked at Nanashi, expecting awe, shock—anything.
But Nanashi stared back with a very strange expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kiana asked, blinking.
Nanashi shook his head, lips twitching.
Truthfully, he wanted to say it aloud:
A Herrscher of the Void becomes the King of Void? How on earth does that make any sense?
From the outside looking in, it was obvious.
The Slate was bribing them. Plain and simple.
But Nanashi said nothing and just smiled.
"We should get going."
As he prepared to leave, a soft tug on his sleeve caught his attention.
The small white cat clung to him, a complicated expression in its eyes.
"What is it?" Nanashi asked.
The cat hesitated, then suddenly burst into radiant light.
Before their astonished eyes, the cat transformed into a girl—tall and beautiful, with flowing pink hair, mismatched blue and gold eyes, and a pure white dress.
"Can I… join your clan?" she asked nervously, voice clear and melodic.
"Clan?" Nanashi echoed, touching his chin.
Now that he was the King of Time—a sovereign in his own right—he could indeed establish a clan of his own.
Note: For those who don't know, if you join a clan of a king in their world, each Clan member gains abilities through their King's power.
"What's your name?" Nanashi asked.
The girl frowned in thought. She couldn't remember.
No—she had deliberately erased it. She had used her memory-manipulating ability to make herself forget her own name.
After a moment of silence, she looked up and said simply,
"My name is... Neko."
"Alright," Nanashi nodded without hesitation.
With just a thought, she became part of his clan.
At the same time, Nanashi subtly used his power of dominion. Since he intended to leave, it was only natural to bring his clan with him.
He could feel the new connection—strange and thrilling—but he held his thoughts for now, conflicted.
Then he smiled gently.
"Nanashi. That's my name."
The cat's eyes lit up immediately. She leapt forward and clung to him, nuzzling her face against his chest like a real kitten.
"Nanashi!" she purred.
She liked this feeling—a rare sense of security.
"…"
Kiana and the others exchanged bewildered glances.
They had no idea what just happened.
Nanashi allowed the cat to rub against him for a while before turning to Hai Xiaomei.
"Would you like to join my clan as well?" he offered.
Hai Xiaomei's eyes sparkled.
"Can I?" she asked, a touch of hopeful anticipation in her voice.
"Hey! I want Xiaomei in my clan!" Kiana whined like a child throwing a tantrum.
Nanashi chuckled and shrugged.
"Let her decide."
After a moment of hesitation, Hai Xiaomei looked at Kiana apologetically.
"I'm sorry… I still want to join Nanashi's clan. He saved my life."
Kiana deflated instantly, like a popped balloon.
"Okay… I guess that's fair…"
Just like that, Hai Xiaomei became a member of the Time King Clan. However, Nanashi didn't bind her with his power. She would eventually have to return to her own world.
"Then we should go as well. Farewell."
With that, they escorted Suoh and the others out of the Onbashira Tower, confirming the return of each group.
Main World
"W-Whoa! Where are we?!"
Neko blinked rapidly, startled by the unfamiliar surroundings. Her fur bristled as she instinctively went on alert.
Nanashi gently stroked her head, calming her.
"This is my home. You don't need to be nervous."
"Nanashi's home?" she echoed curiously.
Her tension melted into wonder as she began to look around.
Then her gaze locked onto something—the puffed-up quilt on the bed… and the small black kitten resting by the pillow.
The quilt shifted, and Kanae sat up, completely nude beneath the covers. She yawned, eyes still drowsy, her long hair falling naturally to shield her modesty.
"Nanashi… you're back… Who's this?" she asked sleepily.
"She's Neko. My, uh…"
Nanashi paused. He wasn't quite sure how to introduce her.
Just then, the girl shimmered with light and instantly turned back into a white kitten. She puffed out her chest proudly.
"I'm Nanashi's pet!"
"Huh?!"
All the sleep vanished from Kanae's face in an instant. She practically jumped, now looking like a startled cat herself.
The noise also woke Haru, who was curled up at the head of the bed. It immediately arched its back and hissed.
"Meow!" (Who are you?!)
"I'm Neko. Nanashi's pet," the white kitten replied haughtily.
"Meow?"
Haru blinked, slowly lowering its arched back. It looked up at Nanashi, confused and curious.
"Yeah… she's, um… my pet," Nanashi confirmed awkwardly.
Since she had claimed the title herself, he had little choice but to go along with it.
With Nanashi's affirmation, Haru instantly dropped all hostility. The black kitten padded over to the white one and gave her a welcoming pat on the head.
"Meow, meow, meow!" (Don't worry! I know this place inside out. I'll protect you!)
"???"
The white cat tilted her head, glowing once again—before instantly transforming into her human form.
"Meow???"
Now Haru was stunned.
Cats can become human?
Then why can't I?
It looked at its own paws adorably, then tried standing upright like a human, wobbling uncertainly on two legs.
"Pfft!"
The sight made both Nanashi and Kanae burst out laughing.
The Next Day
Nanashi introduced Neko to the rest of the household.
Most were just curious about her transformation powers.
Especially Yukino and Abe no Seimei.
As a top-tier cat lover, Yukino was absolutely smitten with her kitten form and couldn't stop petting her.
Abe, however, kept muttering about how she had to be a shikigami or youkai, which annoyed Neko to no end.
Nanashi had initially planned to set her up in a spare room.
Unfortunately, Neko wasn't having any of it. She stubbornly transformed into her kitten form and curled up in his bed instead.
Since there's also Haru in his room, he had no choice but to allow it—for now.
But today, Nanashi had to go to school.
So, for the time being, he left her in the care of Sayuri and the others.