Confusion filled the room as everyone tried to process what would happen next, but Lilith cut through the murmurs with a sharp command. "First of all, we need to call off this upcoming duel entirely."
Daisy blinked, her eyes widening in protest. "Fine, whatever, but why—?"
"Just shut up and roll with it," Philo interrupted, waving a hand dismissively.
Suddenly, Daisy froze, her gaze locking onto her own left hand. She stared down in sheer shock at her ring finger. "Wait... what is this? Where did this ring come from?!" She glared around the room. "Don't just change the subject—explain this right now!"
Lilith gave a calm, knowing smirk. "Haruto is the one who gave her that ring."
Daisy's face flushed red with sudden embarrassment and panic. "W-What?! But why?!"
"My rules, my choice," Philo chimed in with a cheeky laugh.
Ignoring the chaos, Lilith glanced casually over her shoulder toward Ivory. "Hey, Ivory. Can you connect me to the true God of Creation? Since you're their devout follower, you should be able to pull it off."
Ivory crossed her arms, shaking her head. "I can't do it alone. I'll need Lustra and Bellona to help me channel enough power."
"Then do it together," Lilith instructed coolly.
Without wasting another second, Ivory, Lustra, and Bellona stepped forward, joining hands in a tight circle. They began chanting in unison, a brilliant surge of divine energy erupting from their palms. The light swirled together, rapidly forming a massive, glowing magic circle in the center of the room.
With a swift motion, they hurled the magic sphere straight toward Lilith.
FLASH!
The blinding light instantly swallowed Lilith whole, forcing her eyes shut as the energy bound her in place. When she finally opened her eyes again, the luxurious mansion had vanished entirely.
All around her stretched an endless, suffocating void of absolute darkness.
And right out of that terrifying abyss, a towering, faceless humanoid entity composed entirely of radiant, blinding light slowly emerged, stepping forward to block her path.
Lilith stared up at the towering, radiant entity without a hint of fear, a sharp smirk pulling at her lips. "God of Creation. It's been a long time."
The entity's voice echoed with a deep, cosmic resonance that shook the void. "I have existed since the birth of the universe. To me, three hundred years is merely a second. But for someone like you... it has indeed been quite a while."
"We don't have time for a family reunion," Lilith cut straight to the point, her eyes narrowing. "Tell me—was what I felt earlier actually real?"
The God of Creation let out a low, rumbling laugh. "Indeed it was. Heaven is growing unstable. It seems another reincarnation is rapidly approaching the threshold of Level 99."
Lilith's eyes widened in genuine shock, her usual composure cracking for a split second. "Wait—Level 99?! That's impossible! The amount of power and sheer accumulation required just to go from Level 98 to Level 99 is double the entire journey from Level 0 to 98 combined!"
"Normally, yes," the God of Creation replied smoothly. "And yet, someone has found a shortcut—the very same trick you utilized long ago."
Lilith's expression darkened as everything clicked into place. "Oh... so what I suspected was right."
"Correct," the entity confirmed.
Lilith crossed her arms, regaining her cold, calculated demeanor. "Fine. Then I'm here to demand a couple of things from you."
The God of Creation smiled faintly, a knowing look in its blinding light. "I already know what you're going to ask."
Lilith stepped closer, her tone brooking no argument. "Then grant me what I need right now."
The God of Creation shook its radiant head, a solemn weight settling over its voice. "No. To be frank, I have zero interest in Haruto. At first, he was just an irritating anomaly who failed to prove his worth in my trials, and I was fully prepared to dispose of him myself. But the God of Nothingness intervened and claimed Haruto as their own personal vessel instead."
Lilith's eyes flashed with fierce urgency. "Listen to me, this isn't a joke or a game! If heaven's core is truly this unstable, you need to help me before it's too late!"
Before the God of Creation could issue a response, the surrounding void violently trembled.
A heavy, oppressive pressure swallowed the space as a second entity materialized out of the absolute darkness. Cloaked entirely in shadows of pure nothingness, a chilling, distinctly feminine voice echoed across the abyss.
"Well, well, well... if it isn't Lilith. How've you been?"
The God of Creation pinched the bridge of its nose, letting out a heavy, cosmic sigh as it turned to glare at the newcomer. "You know, you really love treating my personal dimensional space like your own personal living room, don't you?"
The heavy double doors of the drawing room clicked shut as Lilith briefed everyone on what transpired during her audience with the higher entities. A tense, understanding silence filled the room as the heavy stakes settled over them.
Without wasting another second, the group moved upstairs to the secluded room where Toya and Rutherford had been standing guard over the still-unconscious Haruto.
Using advanced tech smuggled straight from the sprawling sectors of Grand City, the transformation protocol began immediately. Lilith stood over him, her expression a mask of cold resolve, directing the team.
First, they took to his hair. Thick, vibrant locks that had once defined his presence were thoroughly soaked in a permanent, high-grade black dye, stripping away every ounce of his signature look until he looked completely ordinary. Next came his striking eyes; Marena carefully swapped his natural crimson gaze with advanced, non-reflective cosmetic contacts, dulling his piercing stare into a flat, unremarkable shade.
A quick diagnostic scan of his system flashed across the floating terminal:
Current Level: 18Title Status: Maze (Active)skill: none(Completely overwritten)Assets / Credits: 0.00
The girls stood in a tight circle around the bed, watching the brutal makeover in dead silence. Marena's hands trembled slightly at her sides. She looked up, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. "Do we... do we really have to go this far?"
Lilith didn't flinch, though a flicker of deep pain flashed through her eyes. "It's necessary," she replied quietly, her gaze fixed on Haruto's altered face. "To break him down, we have to strip away every single thing that ever made him feel special. Every title, every luxury, every piece of identity."
The stage was finally set.
Far away from the luxury of the mansion, deep within the forgotten, sprawling slums of the lower sector, a run-down, cramped hovel had been prepared. Daisy's network of covert spies had already established a fake background for him—a life where he was born dirt-poor, with no roof over his head, no credits to his name, and the suffocating weight of reality pressing down from every side.
The time to shatter Haruto completely and forge him anew had finally arrived.
Ivory took a sharp step forward, her voice ringing out with intense frustration. "You're pushing things way too far, Lilith! Handing out massive level boosts like this right now is a terrible move. Their bodies haven't even naturally adapted to process that kind of divine overflow yet!"
Lilith didn't even blink, her expression as unyielding as stone. "Relax. I already absorbed and stabilized the excess mana backlash myself. Besides, I wasn't even the one who initiated it—that came from the higher side."
Ivory crossed her arms tightly, glaring at her. "Then apologize to Marena for brushing her off like that. She's a direct representative of the God of Nothingness; she deserves a basic level of respect, not getting swatted aside!"
Lilith turned her head slightly, letting out a cold, deliberate laugh.
"Sun never apologises for burning Ivory," Lilith answered, her voice dropping into a quiet, chilling intensity that silenced the room. "Neither will I. Weak eyes call that arrogance; strong eyes call it nature. I have to burn even more violently so that the sky remembers who owns the morning, the sun, and the sky itself. True power belongs only to those who burn like the sun and those who own the sky never apologize."
Lilith reached down, grabbing Toya and Seraphine by the collars and hauling them back to their feet with effortless strength. She dusted off her hands, her gaze sweeping over them. "Don't you dare let that power go to your heads. Understand this—that massive surge was entirely temporary."
Toya and Seraphine blinked, stunned, as Lilith admitted it straight to their faces.
"She's lying to humble you, or keeping you on edge," Ivory muttered under her breath, though she wisely kept her distance.
Lilith turned away from them, walking toward the center of the room where a detailed holographic tactical map flickered into existence. She gestured for everyone to gather around, her tone shifting back to absolute authority.
"Now that everything is in motion, listen closely," Lilith instructed, outlining the final phases of the operation. "We need everyone on board to pull this off for Haruto's sake. No mistakes, no hesitation."
Daisy crossed her arms, letting out a soft sigh before offering a small, resolute nod. "Fine. Let's get it done."
Geeli stepped forward, a supportive smile on her face. "You can count on my network. Everything is set on my end."
Around them, the rest of the group exchanged determined glances. Deep down, they were a family bound by history, loyalty, and an unbreakable—if chaotic—bond. Whatever doubts or friction had flared up moments ago melted away, replaced by a singular, shared resolve to see Haruto through his harshest trial yet.