"Haah!"
Daikaku Kokujoji remained calm, his entire body radiating terrifying energy.
Behind him, it looked as if stars were spinning in orbit. Thunder and flame cracked through the air, converging into a cosmic burst of force.
The explosion that followed was earth-shattering.
In an instant, the impact spread outward in a wave of destruction, annihilating city blocks for thousands of meters from the center.
Even those who had retreated over ten kilometers away could feel the overwhelming pressure from afar.
Suoh and the others fought back with all their strength, shielding against the devastation.
Reisi Munakata's brow was furrowed deeply.
Even with the combined strength of five kings—and Suoh, who had grown unexpectedly powerful—they were still unable to land a meaningful blow on Daikaku Kokujoji.
His strength was simply overwhelming.
But why had the kings come together to confront the Second King?
Because Kokujoji had suddenly declared—loudly and without warning—that he would eradicate all royalists.
If the kings did not appear before him, he would begin by slaughtering everyone else.
So, the kings had no choice but to gather and resist him.
"Hahahahaha! My power reigns supreme!"
Kokujoji laughed maniacally, reveling in his terrifying might.
"…Lieutenant."
Weismann's voice was low, his gaze filled with sorrow.
From a distance, several others were watching the battlefield unfold.
"Should we go help Zun?" asked Misaki Yata, dressed casually with a skateboard clutched in hand, fists clenched with anxious energy.
A new recruit from Scepter4, Fushimi Saruhiko, scoffed.
"Misaki, don't tell me you seriously think this is a fight we can get involved in?"
"You—!"
Misaki's anger flared. Fushimi had once been his friend—before betraying Homra.
"Misaki," said Kusanagi Izumo, his tone stern as he studied the chaos. "Now's not the time to argue. He's right. We can't step into this battle."
"Yeah," murmured Awashima Seri, standing tall, her voice steady but her eyes filled with worry. "That's a battle between six kings."
She knew the truth that many others didn't—who the white-haired elder truly was.
The King of Gold.
At that moment, a notification appeared on the Doomsday System interface.
[Ding! Suoh has come into contact with a doomsday anomaly. The Doomsday Journey has begun!]
[Doomsday Journey: Four Participants]
[Travel Time: 1 hour]
[Travelers: Nanashi, Suoh, Hai Xiaomei, Kiana]
[Mission: Eliminate the Corrupted Colorless King]
[Alternate Journey: The End of Doomsday]
[Travel Time: Unlimited]
[Participants: Unlimited]
[Mission: Purge the Light of Destruction]
Back in the classroom, Nanashi—who had been idly observing—was the first to notice the sudden alert. He immediately reached out for updates.
Nanashi: "Suoh, what's the situation on your end?"
No response.
Kiana: "What's a Doomsday Companion?"
March 7th: "It's basically traveling between worlds."
Kiana: "Huh?"
Hai Xiaomei: "But… I don't have any powers. Won't I just be a burden?"
Momonga: "Relax. The boss is with us."
Momonga: "What do you think, Boss?"
Nanashi: "I checked it with my eyes. No response from Suoh—the situation must be urgent. Let's go now."
Hai Xiaomei: "Okay."
Kiana: "Wait, can we actually travel between worlds?"
Tendou Kimura: "Enough talk! Get ready and remember to start the livestream."
The scene shifted.
Nanashi, now transported, stood on a shattered street.
The city around him was in ruins.
He took one glance—and immediately spotted them.
Six kings.
Five were locked in battle with one: Daikaku Kokujoji.
"Wait, what's going on? I thought we were supposed to fight the Colorless King?"
A sweet voice chimed in beside him.
"Hello, Mr. Administrator."
Turning, Nanashi saw a petite girl with short pink hair and blue eyes. She exuded a soft and gentle aura.
She wore a cropped light pink top, hot pants with a large golden snowflake decoration at the front, pink stockings, and white boots. A sheer black sash across her midriff added a touch of mystique to her otherwise cute appearance.
"You don't have to call me Administrator, Xiaomei," Nanashi said with a small smile. "Just Nanashi is fine."
"Oh—okay!" Hai Xiaomei nodded obediently.
"Wait… Did we really travel through time?" Kiana appeared from the side, wide-eyed. "Nanashi, are we supposed to fight now?"
Nanashi raised an eyebrow. "You're not very polite, are you?"
Kiana blinked with her big, innocent eyes. "Didn't you say to just call you Nanashi?"
"…Yeah, fair enough."
Nanashi smiled. He didn't mind her bluntness at all—if anything, he found her straightforward nature rather endearing, even if she could be a bit shameless.
"As for fighting…"
Nanashi gestured toward the devastated battlefield, where dazzling lights exploded in a chaotic dance.
"Wanna go?" he asked casually.
"…"
Kiana glanced down at her ordinary baseball bat, pouted, and gave a nonchalant whistle.
"You go ahead. I can't handle that," she said bluntly.
"You're honest." Nanashi chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
"Hm?"
As he turned his head, something caught his eye—a small white cat with wild, erratic eyes, peeking from the shadows at the edge of the street.
"A cat?"
He frowned slightly. The feline looked familiar somehow.
The little white cat, hiding in a spot untouched by the destruction, stared in confusion at the three newcomers.
"Are those people ghosts?" it thought, tilting its head.
But realizing the overwhelming danger around, it turned to flee.
Just as it pivoted—its vision blurred, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished from where it stood.
"Eh? Where'd you get that kitten from?"
Kiana's eyes widened as she saw the white cat dangling by the scruff in Nanashi's hand.
Hai Xiaomei blinked, equally puzzled.
"I didn't even see you pick it up…"
"I just found a lost kitten and caught it," Nanashi replied, scratching the cat's chin as he brought it out of his space station.
The kitten flailed and twisted in his grip, batting at the air with its claws in a desperate attempt to escape.
Nanashi remained completely unmoved.
Realizing brute force wouldn't work, the kitten's wild eyes flashed.
A wave of strange energy surged from it—an attempt at a mental intrusion. Hallucinations. Memory alteration.
But the moment the energy reached Nanashi, it fizzled into nothing.
"Hallucinogenic ability? And memory modification?"
Nanashi's interest was piqued.
So, this was no ordinary cat. This was an Outsider.
Unlike the bearers of royal power, Outsiders were beings—human or otherwise—who possessed innate abilities without belonging to any king's clan.
They couldn't form clans or become kings themselves. Their powers were not granted, but born.
Some believed they were failed candidates for kingship.
Because their abilities weren't governed by the system of the seven clans, their powers varied wildly and lacked the usual restrictions.
But without knowledge or guidance, many Outsiders lost control, falling prey to their abilities and often using them to harm others.
This cat was one of them.
Yet no one knew her real identity.
In truth, she was a human with the ability to transform into a cat.
"You'd better stay with me for now," Nanashi said gently, holding the squirming feline in one hand.
"If you get caught up in that battle, you'll die."
"…"
This time, the kitten stopped struggling. Instead, it looked up at Nanashi's chin.
There was… an odd sense of safety.
Meanwhile, Hai Xiaomei, knowing she couldn't contribute to the fight, quietly opened her livestream.
[Ding! Hai Xiaomei has opened the livestream room!]
[Lemuel has entered the livestream room!]
Lemuel: "Whoa, it's chaos right from the start!"
Emilia: "The city's already in ruins… this fight's been going on a while."
Momonga: "What are those huge swords in the sky?"
Reinhard: "According to Suoh, they're the Swords of Damocles—symbols of a king's power."
Reinhard: "There are seven kings, and Suoh is the Third King—the Red King."
Bronya: "Red King… fire affinity. Makes sense."
Esdeath: "Now that's an ability I'm interested in."
Kisara Tendo: "So each sword represents a different king? Different colors, different powers?"
Reinhard: "Yes, and they have varying levels of strength."
Nami: "That old man's insanely strong. He's holding off five people alone. Only Suoh seems to be keeping up. The others are struggling."
March 7th: "Wait, is that old guy the Colorless King? He looks… gold."
Nanashi: "He's the King of Gold."
Nanashi: "And he's also the Colorless King."
Tushan Honghong: "Two types of royal power?!"
Nanashi's star-like eyes pierced through the truth.
The soul and consciousness within Daikaku Kokujoji's body weren't his own.
As for whose they were…
It could only be the Colorless King—a being capable of "interference," who could invade the minds of others, hijack their bodies, and merge personalities.
But this wasn't a simple case of possession.
Normally, not even the Colorless King could overtake someone as powerful as Daikaku Kokujoji.
But the man had been… changed.
He was an alienator—twisted by something unnatural.
Through fragments of memory, Nanashi discovered the truth: the Colorless King had been struck by a mysterious beam of light.
His power surged in that moment, granting him the strength to possess even the King of Gold.
That light…
It was the Light of Destruction.
Under its influence, thoughts warped. Intent twisted. All paths turned toward ruin.
——
[Note: The origin of Hai Xiaomei is still unknown. I couldn't find any concrete information about her based on the fragmented description. For reference, the name Xiaomei (小美) translates to "Little Beauty."]
——