Sajyou Izaya could say with certainty that he had never seen such an immense and shocking scene in either of his lives.
A giant mushroom cloud large enough to blot out the sun towered up into the sky, filling all of heaven and earth.
A few seconds later, sky and ground alike seemed to be split apart. A blazing-hot shock front swept outward, stirring dust and embers into a crimson storm. The heat in the air seared his skin and stung his nose.
Birds and beasts fled for their lives, madly dashing toward any hint of an exit from the primordial forest.
Sajyou Izaya felt his own heartbeat pounding as if it were about to burst out of his chest. He instinctively backed away, then turned and bolted without a second thought!
Rumble!
But he had only managed to sprint as far as the edge of Siberia when a white shockwave, visible even to the naked eye, hurtled toward him like divine punishment falling from the heavens.
The ensuing aftershock was like a tide of death. Wherever it passed, the primordial forest that had existed for tens of millions of years was burned flat like fragile stalks of wheat. Towering ancient trees snapped and fell in droves.
The air itself became scorching. In almost an instant, the blast completely engulfed the region where he stood.
[Your desire to live drives you to unprecedented limits. You run with everything you have, but the aftershock of the explosion engulfs you.]
[At this critical moment, a god-tier defensive spell embedded within your body activates and saves you. This was a special spell personally cast on you three years ago by your fiancée, Sajyou Manaka.]
[A meteor from beyond the sky lands in Siberia, instantly killing countless living beings. You become the sole witness to the full process of the Tunguska Explosion.]
[Talent acquired: Eye of Disaster]
[Rank: Rainbow]
[Effect: Whenever a disaster-level energy reaction appears within your field of vision, your Mystic Eyes will automatically analyze its energy composition and feed back the optimal weak point solution to you in the form of visual information.]
Mystic Eyes are special organs that accompany a magus, while also functioning as a semi-independent magic circuit.
Their ranks are divided into "Normal," "Gold," "Gem," and the highest—"Rainbow."
…And yet…
Why does it feel like this Rainbow-level Mystic Eye isn't actually that useful?
After all, how many "disaster-level energy reactions" can there really be, even in a world like this…?
Panting heavily, Sajyou Izaya weighed the significance of his new talent, then looked up.
The sight that greeted him hit his senses like a hammer.
Countless animal corpses littered the blasted landscape, charred black by the shockwave. A few unlucky creatures still ablaze staggered and stumbled through the fire. The earlier shrieks of birds and beasts had long since vanished, leaving behind a world that felt utterly dead.
In a mere moment, the entire Siberian region had turned into a purgatory. Within this land, aside from the scorched earth, no living thing remained.
Just then, Sajyou's eyes tingled faintly, and he reflexively closed them.
When he opened them again, the world before him had changed.
The original scene had not vanished. But overlaid upon it was a new layer of "visual information" revealed to him by his Mystic Eyes: the burning flames, the twisted air, even the animal carcasses—everything turned into a raging stream of crimson data, all surging through his vision.
At the edge of his sight, a faint glimmer of light flashed.
Sajyou focused in that direction, and what he saw shocked him.
All around, the magical essence distilled from the countless dead animals was constantly being drawn toward that faint glow.
A surge of violent resentment rose up to the heavens.
Within that condensed pillar of grudges, he could faintly make out the silhouette of a graceful, sensual woman.
Sajyou Izaya hesitated.
Reason told him that approaching something like that right now was not the sensible choice.
But thinking about it…
He was already here anyway. A likely boss-level event had practically appeared right in front of him. Was he really going to walk away without even taking a closer look?
With that in mind, he ground his teeth and walked toward the pillar of light.
All along the way, the grudges of the dead beasts constantly washed over him, trying to drown his mind. Yet they had no real effect on Sajyou's mental state.
According to Sajyou Izaya's memories, the reason the head of the Sajyou family had adopted him—and even engaged him to Manaka—was not simply because he liked the boy's personality.
It was because Sajyou had a unique talent—
—Empathy.
This ability had only one function: to soothe the souls of others.
To put it bluntly, the Sajyou family had not been looking for a husband for Manaka.
They were looking for someone who could handle a dangerous "nuclear weapon."
Drawing closer and closer to the pillar of light, the woman's figure inside became increasingly clear.
When he finally saw her face in detail, Sajyou's breath caught in his throat.
Within the pillar of light—condensed from the grudges of millions of dead creatures—knelt a woman with pink hair, sleeping quietly in a fetal position.
Her figure was exquisite and full, her curves strikingly seductive. Her long pink hair flowed down like a waterfall all the way to her calves. Even from the perspective of this still somewhat childish boy, he could clearly feel the fullness of her chest beneath the gentle lines of her body.
She was clearly a stunningly beautiful woman. Yet at this moment, her brows were tightly furrowed. The carcasses of countless creatures continued to turn into mana and pour into her. With each surge of magical energy, a roar of pain seemed to echo from the void.
[After the Tunguska Explosion, the resentment and hatred of countless living beings at the moment of death converged and gave birth to the Beast of Pleasure—Beast IV.]
As that special line of text surfaced, a red exclamation mark quietly appeared on the interface.
[Your next choice will have a profound impact on Human Order. Please choose carefully.]
[A: You possess Mystic Eyes. See, accept, and harvest what you can.]
[B: Stay and witness the birth of the Beast of Pleasure.]
[C: Looking at that soft, white skin… Doesn't your heart ache to confirm her beauty up close?]
The first two choices were obviously more rational and safer. The third one carried far more risk…
After all, there was no telling what she might do to him after she woke up.
As for the third…
Is this system even trying to save people?!
Sajyou Izaya silently complained in his heart.
At this moment, the system popped up another reminder:
[All choices are generated based on the Host's current circumstances and true desires.]
…So this broken system has absolutely zero emotional intelligence.
Sajyou Izaya quietly chose "A."
Staying alive was still the most important thing right now.
The interface disappeared. In the distance, the originally somewhat hazy figure within the pillar of light gradually solidified.
Sajyou turned his back and prepared to leave.
At the same time, behind him, the vast and extreme mana bound within the light began to quietly spread in all directions.
The pillar of light slowly dissipated. The elegant body of the pink-haired woman floated into the air, her entire form shining with a faint, soft glow.
An indescribable magical pressure filled the land. Sajyou's body stiffened where he stood.
He could feel a pair of eyes focusing on his back. Slowly, he turned around.
At some unknown point, the woman had opened her eyes. Those breathtaking golden pupils were now quietly fixed on him.
In the aftermath of the Tunguska Explosion, the Beast of Pleasure—Beast IV—had been born.
…