High above the sky, two women stood suspended in midair—one was Kurumi Tokisaki, and the other was Nero Claudius, who had just completed a journey around the world.
"This world's potential is truly immense. Many people here possess combat strength comparable to Heroic Spirits. If Lady Kurumi makes this world her Divine Kingdom, there will be no shortage of basic combat power," Nero said in admiration.
"Hmmph!" Kurumi lifted her head proudly. Naturally, Kurumi-chan's vision was impeccable. However, soon after, her head drooped again, and she sighed weakly. "But after unraveling the ring-shaped history, a massive void has appeared in the world's past. I've realized that this kind of historical gap actually resembles my own primordial essence... So troublesome. It seems that only a collective human consciousness with strong self-control can fill the historical void."
"Then why not fill it with your own primordial essence, my lady? It will recover eventually anyway," Nero replied calmly.
"Hmph, don't even think about it!" Kurumi turned her head away with a haughty pout before declaring proudly, "Kurumi-chan can sacrifice herself to conquer adorable girls—but never for something as boring as saving the world!"
Poom... A vein popped on Nero's forehead. Hearing Kurumi say such an arrogant thing almost made Nero's own proud nature explode. She nearly burst out scolding her.
Calm down, calm down! You must not lose composure before the lady. After soothing her own fiery temper inwardly, Nero spoke again, suggesting, "My lady could travel to another world and extract objects born from human consciousness to fill the historical void."
"You mean stealing the power of human consciousness from other worlds? That won't do! If my selfishness causes Mother's suppressive force to fail against Gaia's suppression, Mother will definitely scold me!" Kurumi quickly shook her head. At the mention of her Mother, she shrank slightly—apparently quite afraid.
"The Divine One's consciousness only descends upon worlds facing destruction. Stable worlds have no conscious suppression forces. Taking some from them won't cause much impact," Nero said with a gentle smile. Kurumi, having never undertaken missions involving special worlds, didn't know such things.
"Hmm... so you're saying I can just go to some mundane world and snatch a bit of human consciousness power? That sounds doable!" Kurumi began to think seriously. For instance, worlds like Night Shift Nurses—such impure places disgusted her. Maybe she could go to one of those and grab some energy there.
Poom poom poom... Nero now had several cross-shaped veins popping on her forehead. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore and shouted, "Get rid of that dangerous idea right now! If you damage the human consciousness power of a mundane world, the restoration process will cause massive human deaths! I meant a world centered around games—for example, Sword Art Online. Even if you take the entire game, at most it will cause the game to vanish. Humans won't die!"
Having scolded Kurumi in one breath, Nero instantly regained her composure and put on a gentle smile. "See? I'm not willful, prideful, or domineering at all. What you saw just now was an illusion."
"Ah, so that's how it works. Why didn't I think of that? Human consciousness also includes things created by humans. If I seize SAO, that alone would be enough to fill the historical void of my Divine Kingdom." Kurumi's lips curved into an ecstatic smile. Saving the world was such a dull task... Asuna, here comes your goddess.
"But before that, there's one more thing I must do first." With a delightful smile, Kurumi's figure disappeared into the sky.
"Thank goodness she didn't notice me," Nero muttered, wiping cold sweat from her forehead. If Lady Kurumi thought her immature, that would've been a disaster.
"Nero, don't pretend. I know exactly what kind of personality you have," Kurumi's voice echoed across the sky, freezing Nero's hand mid-motion.
...
In the streets of Musashi, Kurumi withdrew her Divine Aura and separated Kimi Aoi's time from the flow of the world. Kimi raised her hands, examining them, then glanced at her own clothes. Her expression was thoughtful. Finally, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Divine One."
Since they were in public, Kurumi refrained from revealing her Divine Aura, and Kimi wisely refrained from kneeling.
Kimi's body spun lightly and gracefully, her movements radiating vitality and beauty, as if celebrating life itself. Her dance glimmered with brilliance. Watching from behind, Kurumi puffed her cheeks slightly. Why didn't I think to test it on Kimi first? Maybe that would've perfectly showcased Kurumi-chan's charm.
"Divine One, my foolish brother has troubled you," Kimi Aoi said sincerely, bowing slightly in gratitude.
"Hmph! This goddess cares nothing for the emotions of mere mortals. I simply thought it would be amusing to give Aoi Toori a little scare," Kurumi huffed proudly, tilting her head with a tsundere expression. Since becoming a goddess, Kurumi had grown much more willful and no longer bothered maintaining Kurumi-chan's demure personality.
Kimi smiled gently, her expression as radiant as spring sunlight breaking through winter snow—beautiful, vibrant, and full of gratitude toward life itself. She then turned and began walking toward her home, with Kurumi quietly following behind.
Kimi's home was actually a small diner. Despite being called a "light meal shop," it specialized in grilled meats and other fatty foods. The fact that Kimi could maintain such a stunning figure while surrounded by so much temptation was truly admirable.
"Kimi!" Crash! The moment she stepped inside, a middle-aged woman dropped a plate in shock. This was Aoi Zangui, Kimi's mother. Though her appearance was ordinary and her looks unremarkable, she was in fact a highly skilled warrior.
"Shh." Kimi lifted a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, and led Kurumi into the back room.
"Thank goodness..." Zangui's eyes welled with tears of joy. Horizon's resurrection had only taken place yesterday, so she fully understood her daughter's fate. Just moments ago, she'd been uncertain—was the girl before her truly her daughter or the Divine One herself? But now, she knew for sure. That lazy yet playful way of greeting—who else could it be but her daughter?
Upstairs, Kimi walked straight toward Aoi Toori's room. As she reached the door, she heard Horizon's soft, childish voice: "Toori, dinner is ready."
Raising an eyebrow, Kimi pushed open the door. Inside, Toori lay motionless on the bed, face blank, while little Horizon stood beside him holding a bowl of rice, unsure what to do, her small face full of worry and pain.
Step, step, step... Kimi's steps grew firmer as she approached the bed, bending slightly and flashing a bright smile. "Foolish brother, Horizon's calling you to eat."
"Sis!" Toori suddenly came back to life. With his usual silly grin, he jumped up from the bed and reached for the bowl in Horizon's hands. "I'll eat right away!"
Thud! In an instant, Kimi's alluring leg rose—and both Kurumi and Horizon froze in shock as Toori was sent flying through the window with a single kick, crashing down onto the street below. Without hesitation, Kimi followed by leaping out the same window.
"What an interesting turn of events," Kurumi said with a delighted smile, grabbing little Horizon and jumping out the window after them.
"Foolish brother! What do you want to eat?" Bang! With a radiant smile, Kimi's next kick landed squarely in Toori's stomach, sending him tumbling five meters across the street.
"E-eat... eat dinner!" Toori gasped, clutching his abdomen and shivering in pain.
"What do you want to eat?" Bang! Another kick struck, launching him spinning through the air before crashing down five meters away.
"Eat... dinner..." Toori didn't dare resist. He simply answered obediently, trembling all the while.
"Hmph! Foolish brother, how long do you plan to make your sister worry?" Kimi brushed her fingers through her light brown hair as she spoke with a dazzling smile. Each graceful step she took sent poor Toori flying several meters like a soccer ball. The repeated exchange of "What do you want to eat?"—"Eat dinner!" continued endlessly.
"You foolish brother! How long do you intend to trouble your dear sister?" Wham! Another powerful kick sent Toori spinning through the air before he finally rolled down a nearby slope and into the drainage ditch.
"Phew!" Kurumi exhaled deeply, trying to calm her pounding heart. Even her body trembled slightly. With a wry smile, she thought, To kick someone down the street like a ball and into a drain... remarkable.
"Good grief! Kimi Aoi, you monster. What if Kurumi-chan picks up your bad habits? Who's going to take responsibility then? You?!" Kurumi set little Horizon down, mentally marking Kimi's capture difficulty as SSS level. Such a wild, overwhelmingly charismatic woman could never be conquered in a short time.
From the drainage ditch, Toori struggled to get up. But Kimi smiled sweetly and said, "Foolish brother, did your dear sister permit you to stand?"
Toori froze instantly. What is this... some kind of twisted love discipline?! Kurumi picked up a pair of chopsticks from the rice bowl and said coolly, "I told Aoi Toori to raise you, Horizon. Is this what he calls 'raising'? How dare he mock this goddess."
"Stir-fried tofu... how nostalgic. The first dish Inori ever made for me was stir-fried tofu too." Kurumi picked up a piece with her chopsticks and placed it in her mouth. Her face stiffened instantly. "Perfect! The flavor is every bit as terrible as Inori's first attempt."
"Divine One, though it may be presumptuous of me, please don't hate Toori," little Horizon said, bowing solemnly while holding the bowl.
Kurumi blinked in surprise, then her wine-red eyes softened with a faint smile. Placing the chopsticks across the bowl, she said gently, "Such a heartfelt dish should be left for Toori to eat. But... he'll need a new pair of chopsticks."
Reaching out to pat Horizon's head, Kurumi added in a half-joking, half-serious tone, "Little Horizon, if the day ever comes when Toori stops caring for you, I'll take you in myself."
"There will never be such a day," Horizon replied firmly, lifting her head.
"Hehe, I knew you'd say that. In that case, this goddess won't disturb you three any longer." Kurumi vanished in an instant. Within her own Divine Kingdom, she was omnipotent.
She locked onto Futayo Honda's coordinates and teleported away. Kimi Aoi's capture difficulty was SSS-level—so for now, she'd turn her attention to young Futayo instead.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven