Cloud felt like he'd had a very, very long dream.
In the dream, he became a speck of dust, drifting through endless void. He witnessed the universe's birth—a brilliant explosion of unparalleled magnitude. He also witnessed the universe's end—an absolute nothingness so silent it drove one mad.
He had been a star, experiencing the light and heat of burning oneself. He had been a black hole, experiencing the loneliness and cold of devouring everything.
He felt like he'd slept for one second, yet also for billions of years.
When he finally broke free from this mysterious "sage mode" and slowly opened his eyes, what first greeted him wasn't a sea of stars, but a magnificent "snow mountain."
No, wait.
Two of them.
One on the left, one on the right.
Soft, warm, carrying a faint fragrance unique to Shiranui-style ninjutsu that he knew intimately.
"Mm...?"
Cloud blinked, rebooted his brain for three seconds, and finally understood the situation—his face was buried precisely in her proud bosom.
No wonder he'd felt a bit breathless in that dream.
He tried to move, only to find his arm tightly clutched by something.
Looking down, Kula was clinging to his arm like a koala, sleeping soundly. A glistening thread of drool hung from her lips as she mumbled: "Strawberry flavor... Cloud... hehe..."
Feeling something covering his body, he struggled to lift his head and found Maki Kagura sitting beside him, her wide shrine maiden robes gently draped over him. She leaned against the sofa's armrest, eyes closed in rest, her face showing traces of fatigue and relief.
Around him, a large group of beauties of various styles lay, sat, or leaned in every direction.
Shermie, Mature, and Vice—the three former Orochi members—were squeezed onto one sofa, sprawled in a tangled heap. Their dress straps had slipped off their shoulders, revealing glimpses of spring.
Leona sat like a dutiful guard, maintaining proper posture even in sleep, hands on knees—though her head kept nodding, clearly at her limit.
Athena, Yuri, Chun-Li... nearly every harem member surrounded him, deep in slumber.
Every face showed exhaustion, yet every lip curved in a faint, relieved smile.
Cloud's heart instantly filled with an indescribable warmth and happiness.
He knew that during his unconscious state, they must have stayed by his side without leaving for even a moment.
He carefully tried to extract his head from Mai's "valley of warmth."
"Mm... Darling, you're awake?"
Mai drowsily opened her eyes, her voice languid yet full of pleasant surprise.
Her words triggered a domino effect.
"Cloud!"
"Darling!"
"You're finally awake!"
One by one, the ladies woke up. Instantly, the entire room transformed from "Sleeping Beauty's castle" into a bustling marketplace.
"Thank goodness! You slept for three days and three nights!"
"How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"
"Are you hungry? I'll go make you a spiritually-infused vitality breakfast right now!"—This was Athena, silenced by a single glare from Chizuru.
Being surrounded by beautiful women with 360-degree concern, Cloud felt he might suffocate from happiness.
"I'm fine, better than ever." He smiled to reassure everyone, then slowly stood up.
The instant he rose, he felt the entire world had changed.
The wind flowing through the air appeared to him as lines of "code" that could be modified at will.
The wood grain patterns on the floor appeared as "textures" that could be edited freely.
The temperature of sunlight through the window appeared as a "parameter" that could be adjusted at any time.
He focused his intent.
The next second, that potted plant in the corner that had been nearly withered rapidly sprouted, bloomed, and bore fruit at visible speed, finally producing... a crystal-clear apple.
Everyone: "..."
He tried concentrating to examine himself.
He opened the system panel he hadn't checked in ages.
The panel had changed from its original blue tech-style to a brilliant, sacred, majestic gold.
On it were just a few simple lines:
[Name: Cloud]
[Status: Dimensional Sovereign (Newborn Form—Energy-Saving Mode)]
[Current World: KOF Safe Dimension (Bound)]
[Sovereign Authorities: Law Editing (Beginner), Dimension Creation (Micro), Causality Interference (Limited)...]
"Dimensional Sovereign... newborn form?" Cloud stroked his chin. "So I'm basically a god who just left the starter village?"
[Correct, Esteemed Sovereign.] The system's voice was no longer cold electronic tones but had become an extremely respectful, obsequious butler-style male baritone. [Your growth potential spans the entire myriad realms.]
"Alright..." Cloud closed the panel.
It seemed that while he had reached this world's pinnacle, in the broader "dimensional cosmos," he was still a "newbie."
But that was enough.
He looked at the harem members still stunned by his little demonstration, smiled, and opened his arms.
One embrace spoke louder than a thousand words.
...
Meanwhile, as Cloud enjoyed his warm "post-war daily life," the world outside the mansion had already exploded.
The reason was simple—the final battle had been broadcast globally.
Though Otoma=Raga's "Divine Realm" had blocked most signals, in the battle's final stages, as the "Divine Realm" collapsed, some intermittent, mythological footage was transmitted through various nations' military satellites.
People around the world had witnessed it.
They saw those legendary fighters launch their tragic final assault against an indescribable "god."
They saw those attacks sink like stones in the sea, casually neutralized by that "god"—and even... eaten.
Then they saw that man who had stood aside like an outsider—Cloud—step forward.
They saw him transform into a universe, saw him crush laws barehanded, saw him beat down that world-ending boss like scolding a grandchild.
Though the footage was choppy and full of static, those images of destroying heaven and earth, reshaping the universe, had been deeply branded into every human's mind.
The internet crashed.
Phone lines were overwhelmed.
The entire world plunged into massive panic over the unknown, as well as fanatical worship of their savior.
...
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