A prismatic Trait?
Gate of Myriad Worlds?
…Huh?
Ren was a little dazed.
No—
he simply hadn't expected this outcome at all.
How did a quick state recovery suddenly trigger a brand-new Trait?
"Prismatic Trait?"
"Gate of Myriad Worlds?"
"Mm…"
He thought for only a moment before it clicked. "Sounds literal—a gate that links to countless worlds. As for 'Prismatic'… is that the highest quality?"
He wasn't sure. His Mastery of All Arms had only just reached Orange; were there tiers above that?
Hard to say—but "Prismatic" had to be higher.
"Fuu…"
Ren exhaled, rubbed his brow, and felt his spirit and vigor snap back into place.
"Kaguya, step out for now. I'll do some tests and we'll discuss after," he said, offering no further explanation.
"Understood."
Kaguya didn't pry. She quietly brushed Father with a restorative buff; this time it settled perfectly.
As for what just happened?
She let it be. When Father wished to talk, he would.
Breakfast was a little quiet.
Machiyoi sensed the off-kilter mood but didn't ask.
When Yu needed to tell her, he would.
After eating,
Ren trained—no, practiced martial arts. Now, every "basic" movement left no traces while somehow containing all traces, a thousand lines hiding in one.
Then he settled his mind.
When everything felt right,
he breathed out and said, "Kaguya, log any abnormalities in my body."
"Yes, Father."
She didn't ask what was coming; she simply nodded and prepared to observe.
Ren began testing the new Trait. If a Trait had manifested, it had to be tried.
With the tiniest shift of intent—
time around him halted, and space before him tore open in a thin seam.
"Time stop?"
"Doesn't affect time on this side?"
"Unknown."
"Test first."
Without hesitation, Ren stepped through. The initial attempt had already told him he could enter and exit with a thought.
This first time, it just opened… like this.
He took a step into the crack, and vanished.
…
A modern city.
Except—
the streets didn't hold people, but shambling figures like zombies.
They loosed eerie hisses, feral and crazed.
A seam split open.
Ren stepped out, swept his gaze around, frowned. "Zombies? Is this a world I know… or…"
He wasn't yet sure
whether his Gate connected to worlds he recognized—or truly random ones.
"Let's see."
"Japan?"
A glance at signage and surroundings said enough. He moved quickly, yet not a single zombie noticed.
Please.
Sight, sound, scent—human presence—
if he willed it, he could screen it all out.
To ordinary people—or ordinary zombies—Ren could stand right in front of them and they'd wander around him.
He walked on.
The city looked lost—nearly nothing left. The text was Japanese; the setting, by all signs, Japan.
"Highschool of the Dead?"
For a "starter zone" in the myriad worlds, that was his first guess.
Too perfect a fanservice apocalypse for beginners.
He considered briefly, judged it likely, then narrowed his eyes and let his mind spread—sensing.
"No human life at all. Everything in range reads as zombie."
A moment later,
Ren opened his eyes. His perception could blanket most of the city.
"This thorough?" He couldn't help clicking his tongue. "Not a single survivor?"
He didn't dwell on it. He simply chose a direction beyond his scan and headed that way.
All along,
he walked unhurriedly—almost as if stalling on purpose.
"By my count, about an hour."
"Good enough."
Estimating the time, Ren stopped, willed it—and vanished.
Just before leaving, he'd checked a broken street clock:
13:37.
…
The manor.
Ren crossed the seam and stepped back into the study.
"Father?"
Kaguya's black eyes blinked. She felt something… off.
Ren joined her side and sat. "Kaguya, how much time passed just now?"
"Time glitched. In this humble one's perception, Father never left—and time never flowed. But I could still sense that something was wrong with time."
Eternity and the Instant made such anomalies plain to her.
"Mhm."
He nodded.
"Father, what happened? May this humble one hear it?"
"You may."
Ren had no intention of hiding anything—from Oba-san or from his daughter.
(End of Chapter)
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