"As for the person who could fight the Red Dragon God Emperor, they might only appear later..." Ajuka frowned, analyzing the situation. "In other words, either Takeyo was killed before he had time to dismiss the barrier, or there was simply no need to recall it at that moment."
He didn't understand what had actually happened. After all, only Takeyo's familiars remained at the scene. After witnessing Takeyo and Grayfia disappear, Ajuka couldn't see what had transpired in that distant space.
"So what exactly happened?" Ajuka sighed heavily.
The two scenarios he'd outlined were merely broad categories encompassing countless possibilities. There were many other situations that could explain Takeyo's disappearance.
However, he had no way of knowing the truth, that Takeyo had actually traversed through time and space itself.
In the present world, deep within Kyoto, a magnificent yet rustic palace stood hidden among a bamboo forest. Though it couldn't compare to the grandeur of true imperial palaces, this building was extraordinarily luxurious compared to the surrounding structures.
In one particularly simple room, a blonde mother and daughter gazed at the young man before them.
Behind the little blonde girl, nine golden tails swayed restlessly.
Kunou stared wide-eyed at the handsome stranger. She would swear on her nine tails that she'd never seen such a beautiful person in her entire life.
His face possessed an almost ethereal delicacy, with traces of sacred aura woven through his elegant features. It reminded her of the celestial beings from ancient legends, no, his presence transcended even those mythical figures.
"Kunou, don't be rude," the blonde woman beside her chided gently, stroking her daughter's restless ears.
Yasaka understood perfectly why her daughter had become so agitated. The temperament emanating from the young man was simply extraordinary. Even lying there quietly without actively projecting any aura, his mere presence set her daughter's youki stirring.
Honestly, even she, despite her considerable power, found herself drawn to the special quality surrounding this mysterious stranger.
This phenomenon occurred because Takeyo had cultivated his divine abilities to their absolute limit within the essence of the God of the Bible. According to the classification system of the Eastern pantheon, he had surpassed even the boundaries of an immortal body.
Combined with his possession of the Biblical God's origin and the divine essence still residing within him, both Kunou and Yasaka had fallen into a subtle, almost trance-like state upon extended exposure.
Fortunately, Yasaka possessed strength rivaling that of a Dragon King, allowing her to resist the effect with conscious effort.
"Mother, who is this person?" Kunou asked, her curiosity momentarily overcoming her instinctive awe.
This mysterious stranger, she'd found him yesterday while wandering through one of the forest paths. Because of his uniquely captivating presence, Kunou had felt an immediate, powerful affinity toward him.
Seeing his tattered clothes, she'd assumed he was a human who'd gotten lost or injured within the barrier. So she'd brought home this beautiful stranger, remembering her mother's teachings about peaceful coexistence between youkai and humans.
The Great Tengu guard assigned to protect her had broken into a cold sweat at that moment. Princess, you've told us before to throw humans out immediately! If they were conscious, you even ordered us to scare them away!
We never expected you to be this kind of princess!
Those had been the Great Tengu's thoughts at the time.
"Kunou, I believe I've determined this young man's identity," Yasaka said while continuing to help her daughter resist Takeyo's unintentional influence.
"Really? Does Mother know him?"
Kunou's eyes sparkled with renewed interest.
"Hey, Mother, if this person is from our world, can he become my father?"
The words that emerged from Kunou's mouth left Yasaka momentarily speechless.
"K-Kunou? Why would you even think something like that?" Yasaka stammered, her usual composure cracking.
Did her daughter seriously want this stranger to be her father just because she'd never had one?
Yes, Kunou was indeed her daughter, but Kunou had no father in the traditional sense. Yasaka had conceived her through youkai methods, drawing upon her own time and life force. In that sense, Kunou could almost be considered more of a sister than a daughter.
Perhaps as Kunou matured, she'd begun noticing the difference between herself and the other young youkai around her. All of them had both fathers and mothers, while Kunou only had her mother.
Though all the youkai showed her immense respect befitting a princess, as she grew older, Kunou had started yearning for paternal love.
"Mother, why can't this person be my father? I heard everyone saying that in the human world, if there's someone special, a mother can take a husband, and then I'd have a father too!"
At the thought of potentially having a father, Kunou's face lit up with genuine happiness.
However, in the next instant, her daydream shattered.
"Kunou, "
Yasaka grabbed her daughter by the scruff of her neck, perhaps the legendary "fate's nape" that all felines and canines shared.
"Don't mention such things again. Now go finish today's training. You're not suitable to be here right now."
Yasaka carried Kunou to the door by her neck and unceremoniously tossed her outside.
"Eh? Eh eh eh?!" Kunou's protests faded as she sailed through the air.
Thud.
The heavy door closed with finality after Yasaka threw her daughter out.
Of course, she wasn't angry at Kunou for suggesting such a thing. She simply felt that her daughter shouldn't remain in this young man's presence any longer. She was quite certain that Kunou's unusual behavior stemmed entirely from the sacred and divine aura radiating from the stranger before her.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the missing person from the Devil faction, correct?" Yasaka said, turning her full attention to the sleeping young man.
"The vanished captain of the peacekeeping force, a mysterious young man who disappeared after battling the evil god Loki, the God-Slaying Wolf Fenrir, and the traitor Devil Rizevim Livan Lucifer, who possesses Transcendent-class power."
"Could it be... that you've been wandering through dimensional rifts all this time?"
Yasaka analyzed the situation carefully.
She was well aware of the attack on the Devils by the Old Satan Faction and the Khaos Brigade. Truthfully, everyone in the supernatural world knew about it. After all, this had been a battle involving combatants ranked among the world's top ten, a Transcendent-class being, and the evil god Loki himself, a deity possessing main god-level strength.
Before that battle occurred, no one had imagined that this young man possessed the power to drag all those fearsome opponents down with him. Even Dulio, recognized as the strongest member of the peacekeeping force, couldn't have accomplished such a feat.
Now it seemed this captain truly lived up to his reputation.
But the situation appeared different from what the rumors suggested. Rather than perishing in that legendary battle, he'd apparently crossed through space and time itself, somehow surviving the ordeal.
What an incredible young man.
All of these were merely Yasaka's personal speculations.
The actual truth was far simpler than she imagined. Takeyo had easily defeated everyone she'd mentioned with overwhelming force. His disappearance had only occurred because he'd encountered an enemy possessing Dragon God-level power, specifically, Great Red itself.
"Though his appearance differs slightly from the descriptions, I should inform the Devil faction. After all, the Kyoto youkai have signed treaties with them."
After considering for a moment, Yasaka made her decision.
Indeed, Takeyo's appearance had undergone subtle changes from his pre-disappearance state. Someone could recognize him as the same person, but prolonged observation might raise doubts about whether he was truly identical to before.
During this period of absence, Takeyo had experienced a fundamental transformation. Before vanishing, he'd been at the mid-level of High-Class Devil strength. Now, he'd reached the Ultimate-Class Devil level, and not merely the lower tier, but solidly in the mid-range of that classification.
Additionally, Takeyo had absorbed an immense amount of knowledge, fully integrated the Biblical God's divine origin, and even studied the nature of faith-based power extensively. All these factors had profoundly influenced both his temperament and physical appearance.
Perhaps using the Ninth Incarnation, the Enlightened Buddha, after its awakening might prove effective in concealing these changes.
Of course, even without actively employing that power, the transformation had already created considerable impact.
Even now, Yasaka found herself watching him intently, struggling against the magnetic pull of his presence.
"Hm? Is he responding?"
Yasaka glanced around nervously, sensing movement from the young man.
"Nn..."
After what felt like ages, Takeyo stirred from his deep slumber. Perhaps it was the sound of Yasaka closing the door that had finally roused him.
In Yasaka's slightly flustered gaze, the mysterious young man opened his eyes.
"Ahem..."
After such a long absence, Takeyo recalled a familiar sensation, the urge to cough up blood that had plagued him after previous battles.
But this time, he suppressed the reflex. Having acquired the Blood Path from his three thousand cultivation methods, he rarely needed to use it actively, but controlling something as simple as hemoptysis posed no challenge whatsoever.
After confirming that Takeyo had indeed awakened, Yasaka stood frozen for several seconds.
When his eyes opened, the attractive quality that had drawn her attention intensified dramatically!
"Are you awake? I'll call someone right away," Yasaka said quickly, desperate for an excuse to escape.
Though a youkai doctor had already examined him and confirmed there was nothing more to be done medically, Yasaka simply wanted to flee the overwhelming presence. This excuse seemed perfect.
"Are you... Lady Yasaka?" Takeyo raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised that the first person he encountered upon waking was the leader of the Kyoto youkai faction herself.
"Yes, you're currently in Kyoto, within my territory," Yasaka replied, forcing herself to maintain a formal, composed demeanor.
"I see. Then I must thank you, Lady Yasaka, for saving my life."
Takeyo smiled warmly, speaking with genuine politeness.
In truth, even without Yasaka's intervention, he would have recovered on his own within a short time. The God of the Bible had consumed her own essence to pull both herself and Takeyo into a state of deep resonance, dramatically reducing the severity of his injuries.
Because of this sacrifice, the God had fallen into the same dormant state as Takeyo. The benefit was that Takeyo's recovery time had been drastically shortened, he'd awakened in merely two or three days. Compare that to Jeanne's situation, where he'd remained unconscious for an entire month.
However, one thing greatly concerned Takeyo.
After he'd awakened, Yasaka had looked at him as though he were some kind of dangerous beast, then fled under the pretense of fetching a doctor. At that moment, Takeyo hadn't yet realized the abnormal changes his body had undergone.
"But... thank you so much, my dear God," Takeyo murmured, shaking his head with a helpless smile.
Regarding his choice to alter the timeline and save the God of the Bible, he now felt even more certain of its correctness. She truly was a suitable companion for his journey forward.
Though he'd acquired the Blood Path cultivation method and could potentially reach Transcendent-class level on his own merits, at most achieving four-digit strength within the dimensional power scale, the God's potential far exceeded his own.
If she advanced just one step further, she would possess genuine four-digit power. More importantly, in terms of life essence and existential weight, she stood among the world's supreme beings. Even the Great Red Dragon God Emperor and Ophis, who were more powerful than her, merely squandered their innate strength. Unlike them, the God had constantly progressed, continuously learning and researching throughout her existence.
She was the partner he'd chosen to walk forward with him into the future.
After extensive observation and consideration, he'd finally become absolutely certain of this.
"So then, what should I do next?" Takeyo mused, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Having returned from his journey through time and space, his body now possessed Transcendent-class power. He could confidently say he had virtually nothing to fear from any existence within this world.
This world, specifically.
As for other dimensions and realities... well, that required more careful consideration.
Takeyo sighed quietly. Perhaps it would be best to wait a while longer before pursuing those ambitions.